Basic Rules of Welsh Grammar

Learn Welsh - Grammar
SOME BASIC RULES OF WELSH GRAMMAR

Cynnwys
A.
B.
C.
Ch.
D.
Dd.
E.
F.
Ff.
G.
Contents
Y Fannod - The Article

Enwau - Nouns
Ansoddeiriau - Adjectives
Arddodiaid - Prepositions
Berfau - Verbs
Cysyllteiriau - Conjunctions
Rhifau - Numbers
Rhagenwau - Pronouns
Atebion - Yes / No Replies
Cyffredinol - General
Y Treigliadau - The Mutations

Y Treiglad Meddal - The Soft Mutation
Y Treiglad Trwynol - The Nasal Mutation
Y Treiglad Llaes - The Aspirate Mutation
2002
www.bbc.co.uk/learnwelsh
page 1 of 87
A. Y Fannod - The Article

1. There is no indefinite article (a / an) in Welsh.
e.g. cath - a cat
afal - an apple
merch - a girl
ysgol - a school
2. There are three forms of the definite article (the) in Welsh
(i)
y is used in front of a consonant. Singular, feminine nouns
will undergo a Soft Mutation after y (except those
beginning with ll and rh). See S.M. rule 1.
e.g. ci
- y ci
the dog
cath
- y gath
the cat
bachgen
- y bachgen the boy
merch
- y ferch
the girl
(ii)
yr is used in front of a vowel and in front of h . Remember that

w and y are vowels in Welsh.
e.g.
(iii)
yr ysgol
yr enw
yr afal
yr het
the school
the name
the apple
the hat
r is used after a word ending in a vowel - no matter

whether the word which follows begins with a vowel or
with a consonant.
e.g.
2002
ysgol
enw
afal
het
Maer plant
Maer ysgol
Dymar llyfr
Dacwr afon
The children are

The school is
Heres the book
Theres the river
page 2 of 87
B. Enwau - Nouns
1. All nouns in Welsh are either masculine or feminine. There is no neuter gender.
Unfortunately there is no way of telling which nouns are feminine and which
are masculine, so it is important to learn the gender at the same time as the
meaning. In a dictionary b (benywaidd) will denote feminine nouns and g
(gwrywaidd) will denote masculine nouns.
2. Singular, feminine nouns undergo a Soft Mutation after the definite article y
(the) (except those words which begin with ll and rh). See S.M. rule 1.
e.g. tref y d ref
the town
cadair y gadair
the chair
merch y ferch
the girl
llaw y llaw
the hand
rhaw y rhaw
the spade
3. We always use singular nouns after numbers in Welsh. Although the plural of
car is ceir note the use of the singular form after numbers.
e.g. one car
- un car
ten cars - deg car
eight cars - wyth car
two cars - dau gar
4. Feminine nouns undergo a Soft Mutation after the numbers un (one)
(except those words which begin with ll and rh) and dwy (two).
See S.M. rules 2 and 3.
Notice that the form dwy is used with feminine nouns only.
e.g.
un ferch
un llaw
un bont
one girl
one hand
one bridge
dwy ferch
dwy law
dwy bont
two girls
two hands
two bridge
5. Masculine nouns undergo a Soft Mutation after the number dau (two).
See S.M. rule 4.
Notice that the form dau is used with masculine nouns only.
e.g.
2002
dau fachgen dau dd yn

-
two boys
two men
dau gi
dau blentyn -
two dogs
two children
page 3 of 87
6. Masculine nouns after tri (three) and all singular nouns after chwe (six)
undergo an Aspirate Mutation. See A.M. rules 1 and 2. The form tri is used
with masculine nouns only.
e.g.
tri ch effyl
tri ph lentyn
tri th ractor
three horses
three children
three tractors
chwe cheiniog
chwe phunt
chwe thegan
six pennies (pence)

six pounds
six toys
7. Nouns will undergo a Soft Mutation after the linking yn.

See S.M. rule 12.
e.g.
2002
Roedd Mair yn ddoctor. Mae en filiwnydd. (S.W.) Dydy o ddim yn b rifathro. -
Mair was a doctor.

Hes a millionaire.
He isnt a headmaster. (N.W.)
page 4 of 87
C. Ansoddeiriau - Adjectives
1. Nearly all adjectives follow the noun in Welsh.
e.g. a small / little boy bachgen bach
a big / large car
car mawr
a high mountain
mynydd uchel
a long film
ffilm hir
There are a few exceptions to this rule - hen (old), hoff (favourite)
and prif (main / chief) are three of them.
e.g.
an old man
favourite food
main character
hen ddyn
hoff fwyd
prif gymeriad
Youll notice that by standing in front of the noun they cause the
noun to undergo a Soft Mutation. See S.M. rule 8.
2. When an adjective follows a singular, feminine noun it undergoes a Soft
Mutation. See S.M. rule 7.
e.g.
merch fach
cadair fawr
siop dd iddorol
ysgol dda
a little girl
a large chair
an interesting shop
a good school
Sometimes another noun can be used as an adjective or a descriptive word

e.g.
siop fara
siop gig
bread shop (bakers)

meat shop (butchers)
3. When an adjective stands alone in a sentence (i.e. it doesnt stand

next to the noun it describes) the linking word yn is used in front
of it.
e.g.
The bus is early.

The car isnt old.
The children were cold .
Maer bws yn gynnar.

Dydyr car ddim yn hen.
Roedd y plant yn oer.
This word yn causes the adjective to undergo a Soft Mutation.

See S.M. rule 12.
2002
page 5 of 87
e.g.
The castle is big .

The film is interesting.
We were hot.
Maer castell yn fawr.

Maer ffilm yn ddiddorol.
Roedden nin boeth.
4. We can qualify our adjectives by placing rhy (too), gweddol (quite /

fairly),eitha (quite / fairly) or lled (quite / fairly) between yn and the
adjective. Gweddol will undergo a Soft Mutation after yn but
rhy and lled will not (as rh and ll are exceptions to the rule).
The full form is eithaf but the final f is normally dropped in the spoken
language. This happens in most words which end in f.
All except eitha cause the adjective which follows to undertake a Soft Mutation.
See S.M. rule 9.
e.g.
yn weddol dd iddorol
yn rhy boeth
yn lled dal
yn eitha tew
fairly interesting
too hot
quite tall
quite fat
5. Comparison of adjectives
As in English there are three methods of comparing adjectives in Welsh.
(a)
The largest group - to which appropriate endings are added

tall
tal
as tall as
mor dal
taller than
yn dalach na
the tallest
y tala (m + pl)
y dala (f)
red
coch
as red as
mor goch
redder than
yn gochach na
the reddest
y cocha (m + pl)
y gocha (f)
The Equative degree can also be formed by adding the ending -ed to
these short adjectives and by placing the word cyn in front.
e.g.
2002
mor dal
mor goch
cyn daled
cyn goched
page 6 of 87
(i)
Notice the Soft Mutation after mor and cyn. See S.M. rule 27.
Note also that we do not place yn in front of either mor or cyn.
e.g.
(ii)
Notice the Soft Mutation after yn. See S.M. rule 28.
e.g.
(iii)
mae hi mor dal fi

mae hi cyn daled fi
mae hin dalach na fi

mae rum yn gryfach na gwin
Notice the Soft Mutation after y in the Superlative degree when it refers
to a feminine noun. See S.M. rule 29.
John oedd y tala
Ann oedd y dala
(iv)
Notice the Aspirate Mutation after both and na.

See A.M. rules 8 and 9.
e.g.
(v)
mor dal ch oeden / cyn daled ch oeden yn gochach na than

-
as tall as a tree
redder than fire
Youll notice a change of spelling in some adjectives when endings are

added to them.
w > y
e.g.
(vi)
trwm (heavy)
cyn drymed
yn drymach na
y tryma
Some consonants harden

d > t
e.g.
g > c
b > p
drud (expensive)
cyn ddruted
yn ddrutach na
y druta
rhad (cheap)
cyn rhated
yn rhatach na
y rhata
Also: gwlyb > gwlypach (wetter)
2002
page 7 of 87
pwysig > pwysicach (more important)

(b)
Adjectives which are too long to accommodate endings.

Most of them end in -ol, -og, -us or -gar, but not all.
interesting
diddorol
as interesting as
mor ddiddorol
more interesting than

yn fwy diddorol na
the most interesting

y mwya diddorol
(m + pl)
y fwya diddorol (f)
tasty
blasus
as tasty as
mor flasus
tastier than
yn fwy blasus na
the tastiest
y mwya blasus
(m + pl)
y fwya blasus (f)
(i)
Youll notice long Welsh adjectives are not necessarily long in English
and vice versa
(ii)
One or two adjectives will follow this pattern although they are short.
e.g.
swil (shy)
mor swil
yn fwy swil na
y mwya swil
(m + pl)
y fwya swil (f)
Also: gwyllt (wild), diflas (miserable,boring), gwyntog (windy)

(c)
Irregular adjectives
The following are the main irregular adjectives
2002
big
great
much
mawr
as big as
as great as
as much as
cymaint
bigger than
greater than
more than
yn fwy na
the biggest
the greatest
the most
y mwya (m + pl)
y fwya (f)
small
little
bach
as small as
as little as
cyn lleied
smaller than
less than
yn llai na
the smallest
the least
y lleia (m + f + pl)
page 8 of 87
good
da
as good as
cystal
better than
yn well na
bad
drwg
as bad as
cynddrwg
worse than
yn waeth na
high
uchel
as high as
cyfuwch
higher than
yn uwch na
the best
y gorau (m + pl)
yr orau (f)
the worst
y gwaetha (m + pl)
y waetha (f)
the highest
yr ucha (m + f +pl)
low
isel
as low as
cyn ised
lower than
yn is na
the lowest
yr isa (m + f + pl)
near
agos
as near as
cyn agosed
nearer than
yn nes na
the nearest
yr agosa (m + f + pl)
(i)
In the Equative degree the following forms are also acceptable

cymaint
cyn lleied
cynddrwg
cyfuwch
cyn ised
cyn agosed
(ii)
mor fawr
mor fach
mor ddrwg
mor uchel
mor isel
mor agos
In the Comparative degree the following form is also acceptable

yn nes na
(d)
yn agosach na
Notice that we use and na in front of words which begin with a consonant
and ag and nag in front of words which begin with a vowel.
e.g.
cyn dewed mochyn

cyn dewed ag eliffant
yn fwy cymylog na ddoe

yn fwy cymylog nag echdoe
as fat as a pig
as fat as an elephant
-
cloudier than yesterday

cloudier than the day
before yesterday
There is an Aspirate Mutation after both and na.

See A.M. rules 8 and 9.
2002
page 9 of 87
e.g.
(e)
mor fynyddig Chymru

yn dalach na choeden
as mountainous as Wales
taller than a tree
Sentences containing either the Comparative and Equative degree follow

the normal sentence pattern, with the verb at the beginning of the sentence.
e.g.
Maer llyfrgell mor bell (cyn belled) r orsaf.

- The library is as far as the station.
Ydy t Tom cymaint thy Bill?
- Is Toms house as big as Bills house?
Roedd Tom yn dalach na Bill.
- Tom is taller than Bill.
Maer ferch yn dewach nar bachgen.
- The girl is fatter than the boy.
But when we use the Superlative degree of the adjective we must use the
emphatic pattern - i.e. the verb doesnt come at the beginning of the
sentence.
e.g.
Efrog Newydd ydyr pella.

- New York is the farthest.
Castell Windsor ydyr mwya ym Mhrydain? - Ie/Ia
- Windsor Castle is the largest in Britain? - Yes
Muhammed Ali oedd y gorau.
- Muhammed Ali was the best.
Note that the verb will always be in the third person singular:
e.g.
Fi ydyr gorau.
Chi ydyr tala.
Nhw ydyr gwaetha.
Nhw oedd y gwaetha.
I am the best.
You are the tallest.
They are the worst.
They were the worst.
In English we cannot use the Superlative degree when comparing only 2

things. We must use the Comparative degree.
e.g. Tom and Paul. Tom is the taller.
(not tallest)
This rule doesnt apply in Welsh.
e.g. Tom a Paul. Tom ydyr tala .
2002
page 10 of 87
CH. Arddodiaid - Prepositions

1. ar (on) is followed by a Soft Mutation. See S.M. rule 10.
e.g.
bwrdd y gegin
llong
ar has personal forms
ar fwrdd y gegin
ar long
on the kithchen table

on a ship
arna i
arnat ti
arno fe (S.W.)
arno fo (N.W.)
arni hi
arnon ni
arnoch chi
arnyn nhw
ar is used after certain verbs. Here are two:

gwrando ar edrych ar
e.g.
to listen to
to look at
Wyt tin gwrando arna i?

- Are you listening to me?
Maen nhwn edrych arnon ni.
- Theyre looking at us.
2. i (to) and o (from / of) are followed by a Soft Mutation. See S.M. rule 10.
e.g.
O Gaergybi i Gaerdydd.
O Ddolgellau i Bontypridd.
Llun o Gastell Harlech.
(a)
i has personal forms -
From Holyhead to Cardiff.

From Dolgellau to Pontypridd.
A picture of Harlech Castle.
i mi / fi
i ti
iddo fe (S.W.)
iddo fo (N.W.)
iddi hi
i ni
i chi
iddyn nhw
i is used after certain verbs. Here are two:

gofyn i
rhoi i
e.g.
2002
to ask
to give
Rydw in rhoi anrheg iddi hi.
page 11 of 87
- Im giving her a present (giving a present to her).

Wyt ti wedi gofyn iddyn nhw?
- Have you asked them?
i is used in the rhaid (must) pattern. See BERFAU - VERBS.
e.g.
(b)
Mae rhaid iddyn nhw golli pwysau.

- They must lose weight.
Oes rhaid iddo fo (N.W.) fynd at y deintydd?
- Does he have to go to the dentist?
o has personal forms -
e.g.
ohono i
ohonot ti
ohono fe S.W.
ohono fo N.W.
ohoni hi
ohonon ni
ohonoch chi
ohonyn nhw
Dyma rai ohonyn nhw.

- Here are some of them.
Wyt ti wedi gweld llun ohoni hi?
- Have you seen a photograph of her?
3. am (about / for) is followed by a Soft Mutation. See S.M. rule10.

e.g.
am ddau fis
am b edair blynedd -
for two months

for four years
(dau is used with a masculine noun)

(pedair is used with a feminine noun)
am has personal forms -
amdana i
amdanon ni
amdanat ti
amdanoch chi
amdano fe (S.W.) amdanyn nhw
amdano fo (N.W.)
amdani hi
am is used after certain verbs. Here are five:

aros am
chwilio am
edrych am
siarad am
2002
to wait for
to search for
to look for / to visit
to talk about
page 12 of 87
poeni am
e.g.
to worry about
Maen nhwn siarad amdanoch chi.

- Theyre talking about you.
Wyt tin poeni amdani hi?
- Are you worrying about her?
4. at (to / towards) is followed by a Soft Mutation. See S.M. rule 10.

e.g.
at dd rws yr ystafell
at reolwr y siop
at has personal forms -
to the door of the room

to the manager of the shop
ata i
atat ti
ato fe (S.W.)
ato fo (N.W.)
ati hi
aton ni
atoch chi
atyn nhw
at is used after certain verbs. Here are three:

ysgrifennu at
anfon at
cofio at
e.g.
to write to
to send to
to remember to
Wyt tin mynd i ysgrifennu ati hi?

- Are you going to write to her?
Dw i wedi anfon llythyr atyn nhw.
- I have sent them a letter. (sent a letter to them)
5. gan also has personal forms - in different dialects the various forms can sound
slightly different in pronunciation.
gen i
gen ti
gan Sin / gynni hi
gan Sin / gynno fo
gynnon ni
gynnoch chi
gan y plant / gynnyn nhw
In North Wales these forms are used in the possession pattern. Notice that the
verb at the beginning is always in the 3rd person singular (mae / roedd) and that
noun which follows the pattern undergoes a Soft Mutation. See S.M. rule 23.
2002
page 13 of 87
e.g.
Mae gen i gath.

Roedd gen i ddau gi.
Weve got a cat.

I had two dogs.
Notice the spoken forms of the negative pattern in North Wales

Does gen i ddim
Does gen ti ddim
Does gan Tom ddim
Does gynno fo ddim
Does gynni hi ddim
Sgen i ddim
Sgen ti ddim
Sgan Tom ddim
Sgynno fo ddim
Sgynni hi ddim
Does gynnon ni ddim

Does gynnoch chi ddim
Does gynnon nhw ddim
Sgynnon ni ddim
Sgynnoch chi ddim
Sgynnyn nhw ddim
Notice the spoken forms of the question pattern in North Wales

Oes gen i?
Oes gen ti?
Oes gan Tom?
Oes gynno?
Oes gynni hi?
Oes gynnon ni?

Oes gynnoch chi? Oes gynnon nhw? -
Sgen i?
Sgen ti?
Sgan Tom?
Sgynno fo?
Sgynni hi?
Sgynnon ni?
Sgynnoch chi?
Sgynnyn nhw?
6. In South Wales the following pattern is normally used

Mae car gyda fi.
Does dim ci gyda Tom.
I have a car.
Tom doesnt have a dog.
gyda is often abbreviated to da - especially in speech.

Mae car da fi.
Does dim ci da Tom.
2002
I have a car.
Tom doesnt have a dog.
page 14 of 87
7.
yn (in) causes a Nasal Mutation. See N.M. rule 1.

e.g.
Dolgellau - yn N olgellau
t Bob - yn nh Bob
yn changes to ym if the word which follows it begins with an m

e.g.
Bangor - ym Mangor
parc y dref - ym mharc y dref
yn changes to yng if the word which follows it begins with ng

e.g.
Gardd Eden - yng Ng ardd Eden
Cymru - yng Nghymru
8. Dont confuse mewn (in a) with yn (in) or yn y (in the).

e.g.
mewn t - in a house
mewn car - in a car
yn y t - in the house
yn y car - in the car
9. We all know that it is considered grammatically incorrect to end a sentence

with a preposition in English (but we often hear such sentences in the spoken
language).
e.g.
This is the house I live in.

Whom are you talking about?
(in which I live)

(About whom are you talking?)
This rule does not apply in Welsh - so long as the personal form of the
preposition is used.
e.g.
Dymar t dw in byw ynddo.

- This is the house I live in.
(refers to t which is masculine )
Pwy ydyr plant rydyn nin gwrando arnyn?
- Who are the children were listening to?
(refers to plant which is plural)
Pwy oedd y ferch roedden nhwn edrych amdani?
- Who was the girl they were looking for?
(refers to merch which is feminine )
2002
page 15 of 87
D. Berfau - Verbs
1. The Present Tense
All verb -nouns are added to various persons of the verb to be linked by yn. There is no mutation after this linking yn.
(a)
The Affirmative forms

Standard forms
Spoken forms
Rydw i
Rwyt ti
Rydych chi
Dw i
I am / do
You are / do (familiar)
You are / do (polite)
Mae Tom / Bethan

Maer car
Mae e (S.W.)
Mae o (N.W.)
Mae hi
Tom / Bethan is /does

The car is / does
He / It (masc) is / does
She / It (fem) is / does
Rydyn ni
We are / do
You are / do
The children are / do

They are / do
Dych chi S.W.

Dach chi N.W.
Dyn ni S.W.
Dan ni N.W.
Rydych chi Dych chi S.W.
Dach chi N.W.
Maer plant*
Maen nhw
e.g.
Dw in byw yn Llandudno.
- I am living in Llandudno.
This is the literal translation of the Welsh sentence. It can also convey
- I live in Llandudno.
- I do live in Llandudno.
and common sense will tell you which version makes the most sense in
that particular context.
* Notice that the singular form of the verb is used with all nouns - even
with plural nouns.
2002
page 16 of 87
e.g.
Maer plant yn mynd ir ysgol ar y bws..

- The children are going to school on the bus.
- The children go to school on the bus.
Maer staff yn gweithion hwyr.
- The staff are working late.
More examples
Dych chin gweithion galed.
- You are working hard.
- You work hard.
- You do work hard.
Mae hin siopa yn Llundain.
- She is shopping in London.
- She shops in London.
- She does shop in London.
(b)
The Negative forms

Dydw i ddim
Dwyt ti ddim
Dydych chi ddim
Dydy Tom / Bethan ddim
Dydyr car ddim
Dydy e ddim (S.W.)
Dydy o ddim (N.W.)
Dydy hi ddim
Dydyn ni ddim
Dydych chi ddim
Dydyr plant ddim*
Dydyn nhw ddim
Im not / dont
Youre (familiar) not / dont
Youre (polite) not / dont
Tom / Bethan isnt / doesnt
The car isnt / doesnt
He / It (masc) isnt / doesnt
She / It (fem) isnt / doesnt

We arent / dont
You arent / dont
The children arent / dont
They arent / dont
As with the Affirmative forms (see (a) above) the spoken forms can vary.
i.e.
e.g.
2002
Dydw i ddim
Dydych chi ddim
Dw i ddim
Dych chi ddim (S.W.)
Dach chi ddim (N.W.)
Dydyn ni ddim
Dyn ni ddim (S.W.)
Dan ni ddim (N.W.)
Dydy hi ddim yn siopa yn Llundain.
page 17 of 87
- She isnt shopping in London.

- She doesnt shop in London.
Dych / Dach chi ddim yn gweithion galed.
- You arent work ing hard.
- You dont work hard.
Dw i ddim yn byw yn Llandudno.
- I am not living in Llandudno.
- I dont live in Llandudno.
Dydyr plant ddim yn chwarae pl droed yn y parc.
- The children are not playing football in the park.
- The children dont play football in the park.
Notice that the linking word yn follows ddim.
with plural nouns.
(c)
The Question forms and the No / Yes replies

Ydw i ?
Am / Do I?
Wyt ti?
Ydych chi ?
Ydy Tom / Bethan?
Ydyr car?
Ydy e? (S.W.)
Ydy o? (N.W.)
Ydy hi?
Are / Do you? (familiar)

Are / Do you? (polite)
Is / DoesTom / Bethan?
Is the car?
Is / Does he / it (masc)?
Is / Does she / it (fem)?
(Nac) Wyt (fam) /

Ydych (pol)
(Nac) Ydw
(Nac) Ydw
(Nac) Ydy
(Nac) Ydy
(Nac) Ydy
(Nac) Ydy
(Nac) Ydy
Ydyn ni?
Ydych chi?
Ydyr plant?*
Ydyn nhw?
Are / Do we?
Are / Do you?
Are / Do the children?
Are / Do they?
(Nac) Ydyn / Ydych

(Nac) Ydyn
(Nac) Ydyn
(Nac) Ydyn
Remember the colloquial forms as mentioned in (a) and (b) above.

Ydw i ?
Ydych chi ? -
2002
Dw i?
Dych chi? (S.W.)
Dach chi? (N.W.)
page 18 of 87
Ydyn ni?
Dyn ni? (S.W.)

Dan ni? (N.W.)
and the replies...

Ydyn / Nac ydyn e.g.
Ydan / Nac ydan (N.W.)
Ydy hin siopa yn Llundain? - Ydy.

- Is she shopping in London? - Yes (she is).
- Does she shop in London? - Yes (she does).
Dych chin gweithion galed? - Nac ydw.
- Are you working hard? - No (Im not).
- Do you work hard? - No (I dont).
Dw in byw yn Llandudno? - Wyt / Ydych.
- Am I living in Llandudno? - Yes (you are).
- Do I live in Llandudno? Yes (you do)
Ydyr plant yn cerdded ir ysgol? - Ydyn.
- Are the children walking to school ? - Yes (they are).
- Do the children walk to school? - Yes (they do).
with plural nouns.
2. Notice the following indefinite forms
Mae
Does dim
Is there / Are there? e.g.
There is / are
There isnt / arent
Oes? ( answer Nac oes - No / Oes - Yes)
Mae ci yn eistedd wrth y drws.

- There is a dog sitting by the door.
Mae plant yn chwarae yn y parc.
- There are children playing in the park.
Does dim ci yn eistedd wrth y drws.
- There isnt a dog sitting by the door.
Does dim plant yn chwarae yn y parc.
- There arent children playing in the park.
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Oes ci yn eistedd wrth y drws? - Oes.

- Is there a dog sitting by the door? - Yes.
Oes plant yn chwarae yn y parc? - Nac oes.
- Are there children playing in the park? - No.
In North Wales the word na is placed after Mae / Oes? and Does.
As you can see in the following examples it causes a Soft Mutation.
See S.M. rule 30.
Mae na gi yn eistedd wrth y drws.
- There is a dog sitting by the door.
Mae na b lant yn chwarae yn y parc.
- There are children playing in the park.
Does na ddim ci yn eistedd wrth y drws.
- There isnt a dog sitting by the door.
Does na ddim plant yn chwarae yn y parc.
- There arent children playing in the park.
Oes na g i yn eistedd wrth y drws? - Oes.
- Is there a dog sitting by the door? - Yes.
Oes na b lant yn chwarae yn y parc? - Nac oes.
- Are there children playing in the park? - No.
3. The Imperfect (was / were / used to) Tense
As in the Present Tense, all verb-nouns are added to various persons of the
Imperfect Tense of the verb to be - linked again by yn. There is no mutation
after this linking yn.
(a)

Standard forms
Spoken forms
Roeddwn i
Ron i
Roeddet ti
Rot ti
Roeddech chi
Roch chi
Roedd Tom / Bethan
Roedd y car
Roedd e (S.W.)
Roedd o (N.W.)
Roedd hi
2002
I was
You were (familiar)
You were (polite)
Tom / Bethan was
The car was
He / It (masc) was
She / It (fem) was
page 20 of 87
Roedden ni
Roeddech chi
Roedd y plant*
Roedden nhw
e.g.
Ron ni
Roch chi
Ron nhw
We were
You were
The children were
They were
Roeddwn in byw yn Llandudno.

- I was living in Llandudno.
Roeddech chin gweithion galed.
- You were working hard.
Roedd hin siopa yn Llundain.
- She was shopping in London.
with plural nouns.
e.g.
Roedd y llyfrau ar y bwrdd.

- The books were on the table.
In North Wales, the standard forms are generally heard in speech,

although the shortened 1st person form ron i is commonly used.
(b)
The Negative forms

Standard forms
Doeddwn i ddim
Don i ddim
Doeddet ti ddim
Dot ti ddim
Doeddech chi ddim
Doch chi ddim
Doedd Tom / Bethan ddim
Doedd y car ddim
Doedd e ddim (S.W.)
Doedd o ddim (N.W.)
Doedd hi ddim
I wasnt
You werent (familiar)
You werent (polite)
Tom / Bethan wasnt
The car wasnt
He / It (masc) wasnt
She / It (fem) wasnt
Doedden ni ddim
Doeddech chi ddim
Doedd y plant ddim*
Doedden nhw ddim
We werent
You werent
The children werent
They werent
e.g.
2002
Spoken forms
Don ni ddim
Doch chi ddim
Don nhw ddim
Doedd hi ddim yn siopa yn Llundain.
page 21 of 87
- She wasnt shopping in London.

Doeddech chi ddim yn gweithion galed.
- You werent working hard.
Doeddwn i ddim yn byw yn Llandudno.
- I wasnt livimg in Llandudno.
Doedd y plant ddim yn y gwely.
- The children werent in bed.
Remember that in negative sentences the linking yn comes after
ddim
with plural nouns.
e.g.
Doedd y mynyddoedd ddim yn uchel.

- The mountains werent high.
In North Wales, the only shortened form generally heard is the 1st person
singular, otherwise the stsndard forms are in common use.
(c)

Oeddwn i ?
Was I?
Oeddet ti?
Oeddech chi ?
Oedd Tom / Bethan? Oedd y car?
Oedd e? (S.W.)
Oedd o? (N.W.)
Oedd hi?
-
Were you? (familiar) Were you? (polite) WasTom / Bethan? Was the car?
Was he / it (masc)? Was she / it (fem)? -
Oedden ni?
Were we?
Oeddech chi?
Oedd y plant?*
Oedden nhw?
Were you?
Were the children? Were they?
-
(Nac) Oeddet (fam) /

Oeddech (pol)
(Nac) Oeddwn
(Nac) Oeddwn
(Nac) Oedd
(Nac) Oedd
(Nac) Oedd
(Nac) Oedd
(Nac) Oedd
(Nac) Oedden /
Oeddech
(Nac) Oedden
(Nac) Oedden
(Nac) Oedden
The spoken forms are often abbreviated as weve seen in (a) and (b) above
On i?
2002
(Nac) ot / och
page 22 of 87
Ot ti?
Och chi?
On ni?
Och chi?
On nhw?
e.g.
(Nac) on
(Nac) on
(Nac) on / och
(Nac) on
(Nac) on
Oedd hin siopa yn Llundain? - Oedd.

- Was she shopping in London? - Yes (she was).
Oeddech chin gweithion galed? - Nac oeddwn.
- Were you working hard? - No (I wasnt).
Oeddwn in rhy hwyr? - Oeddet / Oeddech.
- Was I too late? - Yes (you were).
with plural nouns.
(d)
Indefinite forms
Unlike the present tense where definite and indefinite forms are
distinguished by the use of ydy and oes respectively, no different form
is required in the imperfect tense:
Roedd hin braf.
Roedd problem .(S.W.)
Roedd na broblem. (N.W.)
It was fine.
There was a problem.
Oedd John yno?

Oedd llawer yno? (S.W.)
Oedd na lawer yno? (N.W.)
Was John there?

Were there many there?
Oedd / Nac oedd
Yes / No
Doedd yr ateb ddim yn iawn.

Doedd dim ateb (S.W.)
Doedd na ddim ateb. (N.W.)
The answer wasnt right.

There was no answer.
4. The Perfect (wedi) Tense

Once again the forms of the Present Tense of the verb to be are used with all
verb-nouns - but this time the linking word is wedi (i.e. wedi takes
the place of yn). Again, there is no mutation after wedi. Therefore the linking
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words yn and wedi cannot appear in the same sentence.

(a)

Standard forms
Spoken forms
Rydw i
Rwyt ti
Rydych chi
Dw i
Dych chi S.W.
Dach chi N.W.
Maer car
Mae e (S.W.)
Mae o (N.W.)
Mae hi
Rydyn ni
Dyn ni S.W.
Dan ni N.W.
Dych chi S.W.
Dach chi N.W.
Rydych chi
Maer plant*
Maen nhw
with plural nouns.
e.g.
(b)
Dw i wedi byw yn Llandudno.

- I have lived in Llandudno.
Dych chi wedi gweithion galed.
- You have worked hard.
Mae hi wedi siopa yn Llundain.
- She has shopped in London.
The Negative forms

Dydw i ddim(Dw i ddim)
Dwyt ti ddim
Dydych chi ddim
Dydy Tom / Bethan ddim
Dydyr car ddim
Dydy e ddim (S.W.)
Dydy o ddim (N.W.)
Dydy hi ddim
2002
Dydyn ni ddim
Dydych chi ddim
Dydyr plant ddim*
Dydyn nhw ddim
page 24 of 87
with plural nouns.
As with the Affirmative forms (see (a) above) the spoken forms can vary.
i.e.
e.g.
(c)
Dydw i ddim
Dydych chi ddim
Dydyn ni ddim
Dw i ddim
Dych chi ddim (S.W.)
Dach chi ddim (N.W.)
Dyn ni ddim (S.W.)
Dan ni ddim (N.W.)
Dydy hi ddim wedi siopa yn Llundain.

- She hasnt shopped in London.
Dych chi ddim wedi gweithion galed.
- You havent worked hard.
Dw i ddim wedi byw yn Llandudno.
- I have not lived in Llandudno.
The Question forms and the No / Yes replies (S.W.)

Ydw i ?
Wyt ti?
Ydych chi ?
Ydy Tom / Bethan?
Ydyr car?
Ydy e? (S.W.)
Ydy o? (N.W.)
Ydy hi?
(Nac) Wyt (fam) /

Ydych (pol)
(Nac) Ydw
(Nac) Ydw
(Nac) Ydy
(Nac) Ydy
(Nac) Ydy
(Nac) Ydy
Ydyn ni?
Ydych chi?
Ydyr plant?*
Ydyn nhw?
(Nac) Ydyn / Ydych

(Nac) Ydyn
(Nac) Ydyn
(Nac) Ydyn
with plural nouns.
Youll notice that the Yes / No replies are the same as for the Present
Tense.
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In North Wales also people will reply to all persons of the verb by using
Do
Naddo
Yes
No
Remember the colloquial forms as mentioned in (a) and (b) above.

Ydw i ?
Ydych chi ? Ydyn ni?
-
Dw i?
Dych chi? (S.W.)
Dach chi? (N.W.)
Dyn ni? (S.W.)
Dan ni? (N.W.)
and the replie s

Ydyn / Nac ydyn e.g.
Ydy hi wedi siopa yn Llundain? - Ydy / Do

- Has she shopped in London? - Yes (she has).
Ydych chi wedi gweithion galed? - Nac ydw / Naddo.
- Have you worked hard? - No (I havent).
Ydw in byw yn Llandudno? - Wyt / Ydych / Do.
- Have I lived in Llandudno? - Yes (you have).
5. The Pluperfect Tense

This is the farthest back in time that we can go.
In this Tense we use the Imperfect Tense forms of the verb to be together
with the linking word wedi. Again, remember that the linking words yn
and wedicannot be used in the same sentence.
(a)
2002

Standard forms
Spoken forms
Roeddwn i
Roeddet ti
Roeddech chi
Roedd Tom / Bethan
Roedd y car
Roedd e (S.W.)
Ron i
Rot ti
Roch chi
page 26 of 87
Roedd o (N.W.)
Roedd hi
Roedden ni
Roeddech chi
Roedd y plant*
Roedden nhw
Ron ni
Roch chi
Ron nhw
* Notice that the singular fo rm of the verb is used with all nouns - even
with plural nouns.
e.g.
(b)
Roeddwn i wedi byw yn Llandudno.

- I had lived in Llandudno.
Roeddech chi wedi gweithion galed.
- You had worked hard.
Roedd hi wedi siopa yn Llundain.
- She had shopped in London.
The Negative forms

Standard forms
Spoken forms
Doeddwn i ddim
Doeddet ti ddim
Doeddech chi ddim
Doedd Tom / Bethan ddim
Doedd y car ddim
Doedd e ddim (S.W.)
Doedd o ddim (N.W.)
Doedd hi ddim
Don i ddim
Dot ti ddim
Doch chi ddim
Doedden ni ddim
Doeddech chi ddim
Doedd y plant ddim*
Doedden nhw ddim
Don ni ddim
Doch chi ddim
Don nhw ddim
with plural nouns.
e.g.
2002
Doedd hi ddim wedi siopa yn Llundain.

- She hadnt shopped in London.
Doeddech chi ddim wedi gweithion galed.
page 27 of 87
- You hadnt worked hard.

Doeddwn i ddim wedi byw yn Llandudno.
- I hadnt lived in Llandudno.
(c)

Oeddwn i ?
Oeddet ti?
Oeddech chi ?
Oedd Tom / Bethan?
Oedd y car?
Oedd e? (S.W.)
Oedd o? (N.W.)
Oedd hi?
(Nac) Oeddet (fam) / Oeddech (pol)

(Nac) Oeddwn
(Nac) Oeddwn
(Nac) Oedd
(Nac) Oedd
(Nac) Oedd
(Nac) Oedd
(Nac) Oedd
Oedden ni?
Oeddech chi?
Oedd y plant?*
Oedden nhw?
(Nac) Oedden / Oeddech

(Nac) Oedden
(Nac) Oedden
(Nac) Oedden
with plural nouns.
On i?
Ot ti?
Och chi?
On ni?
Och chi?
On nhw?
e.g.
(Nac) ot / och
(Nac) on
(Nac) on
(Nac) on / och
(Nac) on
(Nac) on
Oedd hi wedi siopa yn Llundain? - Oedd.

- Had she shopped in London? - Yes (she had).
Oeddech chi wedi gweithion galed? - Nac oeddwn.
- Had you worked hard? - No (Im hadnt).
Oeddwn i wedi byw yn Llandudno? - Oeddet / Oeddech.
- Had I lived in Llandudno? - Yes (you had).
6. The Long Future Tense

In this tense ( xxx will be ing) we use the Future forms of the verb
2002
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to be with all the verb-nouns - joined by the linking yn.

(a)

Fe / Mi fydda i
Fe / Mi fyddi di
Fe / Mi fyddwch chi
Fe / Mi fydd Tom / Bethan
Fe / Mi fydd y car
Fe / Mi fydd e (S.W.) /
Fe / Mi fydd o (N.W.)
Fe / Mi fydd hi
Fe fydd / Mi fydd na
I will / shall be
Youll be (familiar)
Youll be (polite)
Tom / Bethan is
The car will / shall be
He / It (masc) will / shall be
She / It (fem) wil / shall be

There will be
Fe / Mi fyddwn ni
Fe / Mi fyddwch chi
Fe / Mi fydd y plant*
Fe / Mi fyddan nhw
Well be
Youll be
The children will / shall be
Theyll be
with plural nouns.
The verb forms begin with the consonant b
Bydda i
Byddi di
Bydd Tom
Byddwn ni
Byddwch chi
Byddan nhw
and so on. These forms are rather literary and are often found in
narrative but in ordinary speech, we tend to place the particles
Mi
Fe
North Wales
South Wales
in front of the verb forms. These words have no translatable value but
they have something to do with the rhythm of the language (much like
a leading note in music a note which leads in to the beat!)
They cause the verb forms to undergo a Soft Mutation.
See S. M. rule 15.
e.g.
2002
Mi fydda in byw yn Llandudno y flwyddyn nesa.
page 29 of 87
- I shall be living in Llandudno next year.

Fe fyddwch chin gweithion galed.
- Youll be working hard.
Mi / Fe fydd hin siopa yn Llundain.
- Shell be shopping in London.
(b)
The Negative forms

Fydda i ddim
Fyddi di ddim
Fyddwch chi ddim
Fydd y car ddim
Fydd e ddim (S.W.)
Fydd o ddim (N.W.)
I wont be
You wont be
Youre wont be
The car wont be
He / It (masc) wont be
Fydda hi ddim
She / It (fem) wont be
Fyddwn ni ddim
Fyddwch chi ddim
Fydd y plant ddim*
Fyddan nhw ddim
We wont be
You wont be
The children wont be
They wont be
with plural nouns.
As Mi / Fe are particles which denote the affirmative, they are not
used in the negative.
e.g.
(c)
Fydd hi ddim yn siopa yn Llundain.

- She wont be shopping in London.
Fyddwch chi ddim yn gweithion galed.
- You wont be working hard.
Fydda i ddim yn byw yn Llandudno.
- I wont be living in Llandudno.

Fydda i?
Fyddi di
Fyddwch chi?
Fydd Tom / Bethan?Fydd y car?
-
2002
Will I be?
Will you be? (familiar)

Will you be? (polite)
Will I Tom / Bethan be?
Will the car be?
Byddi (fam) /
Byddwch (pol)
Bydda
Bydda
Bydd
Bydd
page 30 of 87
Fydd e? (S.W.)
Fydd o? (N.W.)
Fydd hi?
Will he / it (masc) be?

Will she / it (fem) be?
Bydd
Bydd
Bydd
Fyddwn ni?
Will we be?
Will you be?

Will the children be?
Will they be?
Byddwn /
Byddwch
Byddwn
Byddan
Byddan
Fyddwch chi?
Fydd y plant?*
Fyddan nhw?
with plural nouns.
used in the question forms.
The negative reply - No - is formed by placing Na in front of the
Yes replies. It will cause a Soft Mutation. See S.M. rule 24.
Na fydda
Na fyddan
Na fyddi
No (I wont be)
No (they wont be)
No (you wont be)
and so on.
e.g.
(d)
Fydd hin siopa yn Llundain? - Bydd.

- Will she be shopping in London? - Yes (she will be)
Fyddwch chin gweithion galed? - Na fydda.
- Will you be working hard? - No (I wont be).
Fydda in byw yn Llandudno? - Byddi / Byddwch.
- Will I be livimg in Llandudno? - Yes (you will be).
Indefinite forms
As with the imperfect tense, the third person singular is also used for
indefinite forms
e.g.
2002
Fe fydd lle .(S.W.)

Mi fydd na le (N.W.)
There will be room.
Fydd lle? (S.W.)
Will there be room?
page 31 of 87
Fydd na le? (N.W.)

Fydd dim lle. (S.W.)
Fydd na ddim lle.(N.W.)
There wont be room.
**********************
All the verb tenses in Nos 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are called long forms because
they are made up of the verb to be formes linked by either yn or wedi to
the verb-nouns.
The next two tenses - Past and Future - (Nos 7, 8, 10, 11 ) - are called short
because they are formes by adding endings on to the stems or roots of the verbs.
7. The Past Tense
(a)
(see also No. 9 below)

These are the endings that are added to the root or stem of all regular
verbs.
- ais i ( -es i)
- aist ti (-est ti)
- och chi
- odd e/o
- odd hi
- odd Tom / y plant
- on ni
- och chi
- on nhw
The stem or root of most verbs is found by dropping the final syllable
of the verb-noun:
cerdded
bwyta
prynu
dysgu
canu
(to walk)
(to eat)
(to buy)
(to learn)
(to sing)
cerddbwytpryndysgcan-
Sometimes it is only the final letter which is dropped

gweld
( to see)
gwel-
The stem or root of a few verbs consists of the whole verb-noun
2002
page 32 of 87
eistedd
siarad
edrych
darllen
(to sit)
(to talk / speak)
(to look)
(to read)
eisteddsiaradedrychdarllen-
Some stems are irregular

dweud
cyrraedd
aros
gwrando
gadael
cymryd
meddwl
(to say)
(to arrive)
(to stop / wait) (to listen)
(to leave)
(to take)
(to think)
-
dwedcyrhaeddarhosgwrandawgadawcymermeddyli-
Example - dysgu - to learn

Dysgais (-es) i
Dysgaist (-est) ti
Dysgoch chi
Dysgodd e / o
Dysgodd hi
Dysgodd Tom
I learnt
you (fam) learnt
you (pol) learnt
he learnt
she learnt
Tom learnt
Dysgon ni
Dysgoch chi
Dysgodd y plant*
Dysgon nhw
we learnt
you learnt
the children learnt
they learnt
with plural nouns.
As with the Future Tense in No. 6 above, in normal speech, we place Mi /
Fe in front of these verb forms - with the Soft Mutation as before.
Fe / Mi ddysgais (-es) i
Fe / Mi ddysgaist (-est)ti
Fe / Mi ddysgoch chi
Fe / Mi ddysgodd e / o
Fe / Mi ddysgodd hi
Fe / Mi ddysgodd Tom
2002
Fe / Mi ddysgon ni
Fe / Mi ddysgon nhw
page 33 of 87
e.g.
(b)
Mi ddarllenodd Tom y papur yn y gwely.

- Tom read the paper in bed.
Fe welodd hir ffilm neithiwr.
- She saw the film last night.
Fe / Mi brynais i ffrog newydd ddoe.
- I bought a new dress yesterday.
The Negative forms

Drop the positive or affirmative participle Mi / Fe but keep the Soft
Mutation at the beginning of the verb forms - except those verbs which
begin with c, p or t (which undergo an Aspirate Mutation. See below).
Fe / Mi ddysgais (-es) i
Fe / Mi ddysgaist ( -est) ti
Fe / Mi ddysgodd e / o
Fe / Mi ddysgodd hi
Fe / Mi ddysgodd Tom
Fe / Mi ddysgon ni
Fe / Mi ddysgodd y plant*
Fe / Mi ddysgon nhw
Ddysgais (-es) i ddim

Ddysgaist (-est) ti ddim
Ddysgoch chi ddim
Ddysgodd e / o ddim
Ddysgodd hi ddim
Ddysgodd Tom ddim
Ddysgon ni ddim
Ddysgoch chi ddim
Ddysgodd y plant ddim
Ddysgon nhw ddim
with plural nouns.
e.g.
Ddarllenodd Tom ddim papur yn y gwely.

- Tom didnt read a paper in bed.
Welodd hi ddim ffilm neithiwr.
- She didnt see a film last night.
Wisgais i ddim ffrog newydd ddoe.
- I didnt wear a new dress yesterday.
As stated above, verbs which begin with c, p or t begin with an Aspirate

Mutation in the Negative Past Tense forms. See A.M. rule 6.
e.g.
cysgu - to sleep
Fe / Mi gysgais (-es) i
Fe / Mi gysgaist (-est) ti
2002
Ch ysgais (-es) i ddim

Ch ysgaist (-est) ti ddim
page 34 of 87
Fe / Mi gysgoch chi
Fe / Mi gysgodd e / o
Fe / Mi gysgodd hi
Fe / Mi gysgodd Tom
Ch ysgoch chi ddim

Ch ysgodd e / o ddim
Ch ysgodd hi ddim
Ch ysgodd Tom ddim
Fe / Mi gysgon ni
Fe / Mi gysgoch chi
Fe / Mi gysgodd y plant*
Fe / Mi gysgon nhw
Ch ysgon ni ddim
Chysgoch chi ddim
Chysgodd y plant ddim
Chysgon nhw ddim
Ph rynodd hi ddim
Thalon nhw ddim
prynu - to buy
Fe / Mi brynodd hi
talu - to pay
Fe / Mi d alon nhw
with plural nouns.
(c)
The Question forms

Merely drop the positive marker Mi / Fe , keep the Soft Mutation and
adopt a questioning tone of voice.
The replies in this tense are the same in all persons:
Yes
No
Do
Naddo
Ddysgais )-es) i?
Ddysgais (-es)t ti?
Ddysgoch chi?
Ddysgodd e / o?
Ddysgodd hi?
Ddysgodd Tom?
Ddysgon ni?
Ddysgoch chi?
Ddysgodd y plant?* Ddysgon nhw?
-
2002
Did I learn?
Did you (fam) learn?
Did you (pol) learn?
Did he learn?
Did she learn?
Did Tom learn?
Do / Naddo
Do / Naddo
Do / Naddo
Do / Naddo
Do / Naddo
Do / Naddo
Did we learn?
Did you learn?
Did the children learn?
Did they learn?
Do / Naddo
Do / Naddo
Do / Naddo
Do / Naddo
page 35 of 87
with plural nouns.
e.g.
Ddarllenodd Tom y papur yn y gwely? - Do.

- Did Tom read the paper in bed/ - Yes.
Welodd hi ffilm neithiwr? - Naddo.
- Did she see a film last night? - No.
Wisgaist ti ffrog newydd ddoe? - Do.
- Did you wear a new dress yesterday? - Yes.
8. Irregular verbs - Past Tense

The 5 main irregular verbs in Welsh are:
mynd
dod
gwneud
cael
bod
(a)
to go
to come
to do / make
to have / receive
to be

The first three form a group of their own as they follow a similar
pattern.
mynd
dod
Fe / Mi es i
2002
gwneud
Fe ddes i
(S.W.)
Mi ddois i (N.W.)
Fe / Mi est ti
Fe ddest ti (S.W.)
Mi ddoist ti (N.W.)
Fe / Mi aethoch chi Fe / Mi ddaethoch chi
Fe / Mi aeth e / o
Fe ddaeth e (S.W.)
Mi ddth o (N.W.)
Fe / Mi aeth hi
Fe / Mi ddaeth hi
Fe / Mi aeth Tom Fe / Mi ddaeth Tom
Fe / Mi wnes i
Fe / Mi aethon ni Fe / Mi ddaethon ni
Fe / Mi aethoch chi Fe / Mi ddaethoch chi
Fe / Mi aeth y plant* Fe / Mi ddaeth y plant*
Fe / Mi aethon nhw Fe / Mi ddaethon nhw
Fe / Mi wnaethon ni
Fe / Mi wnaethoch chi
Fe / Mi wnaeth y plant*
Fe / Mi wnaethon nhw
Fe / Mi wnest ti
Fe / Mi wnaethoch chi
Fe / Mi wnaeth e / o
Fe / Mi wnaeth hi
Fe / Mi wnaeth Tom
page 36 of 87
with plural nouns.
e.g.
Fe aeth y plant ir ysgol ar y bws.

- The children went to school on the bus.
Mi aethon nhw i chwarae yn y parc ar l yr ysgol.
- They went to play in the park after school.
Fe / Mi es i ir gwelyn gynnar neithiwr.
- I went to bed early last night.
Mi ddaeth Mair adre ddoe.
- Mair came home yesterday.
Fe ddaethon ni ir parti mewn tacsi.
- We came to the party in a taxi.
Fe ddest ti ir gwaith gyda Bill y bore ma.
- You came to work with Bill this morning.
Mi wnaethon nhwr gwaith ddydd Sadwrn.
- They did the work on Saturday.
Fe wnaeth hi gacen i de.
- She made a cake for tea.
Mi wnaethon ni sn.
- We made a noise.
The Past Tense of cael needs to be learnt separately

Fe ges i
Fe gest ti
Fe gawsoch chi
Fe gafodd e
Fe gafodd hi
Fe gafodd Beti
Fe gawson ni
Fe gawsoch chi
Fe gafodd y plant*
Fe gawson nhw
In North Wales, in the spoken language, cael also follows the pattern of
the other three irregular verbs
Mi ges i
Mi gest ti
Mi gaethoch chi
Mi gaeth o
Mi gaeth hi
2002
Mi gaethon ni
Mi gaethoch chi
Mi gaeth y plant*
Mi gaethon nhw
page 37 of 87
Mi gaeth Beti
e.g.
Mi ges i gar newydd y llynedd.

- I had a new car last year.
Fe gafodd / Mi gaeth Beti wobr yn yr eisteddfod.
- Beti had a prize at the eisteddfod.
Fe gawson / Mi gaethon nhw salad i swper.
- They had salad for supper.
with plural nouns.
e.g.
Fe gafodd / Mi gaeth y llewod fwyd am ddau or gloch.

- The lions had food at two oclock.
The exact meaning of the Past Tense of bod (to be) is difficult to convey
as it doesnt exist in English. So we have to translate it by using went or
have been or was /were. Here are the forms
Fe / Mi fues i
Fe / Mi fuest ti
Fe / Mi fuoch chi
Fe / Mi fuodd e / o
Fe / Mi fuodd hi
Fe / Mi fuodd yr athro
Fe / Mi fuon ni
Fe / Mi fuoch chi
Fe / Mi foudd y plant*
Fe / Mi fuon nhw
with plural nouns.
e.g.
Fe fues i yng Nghaerdydd ddoe.

- I went to / have been in / was in Cardiff yesterday.
Mi fuon nhw i Sbaen ym mis Awst.
- They went to / have been to / were in Spain in August.
Mi fuodd Gwyn mewn parti nos Sadwrn.
- Gwyn went to / has been to / was in a party on Saturday night.
The bues forms can also be used with another verb. The exact meaning
in English is quite difficult to convey.
e.g.
2002
Mi fuon nin siopa ddoe.

- We went shopping / have been shopping yesterday.
Fe fues in chwarae tennis ar l cinio ddydd Sadwrn.
page 38 of 87
- I was playing / went playing tennis after lunch on Saturday.

(b)
The Negative forms

The Negatives are formed in exactly the same way as regular verbs.
Drop the positive marker Mi / Fe, keep the Soft Mutation (except for
cael which undertakes an Aspirate Mutation) and add ddim.
Fe / Mi aeth hi
Fe / Mi ddaethon nhw
Fe / Mi wnest ti
Fe / Mi fuon ni
Fe / Mi ges i
(c)
Aeth hi ddim
Ddaethon nhw ddim
Wnest ti ddim
Fuon ni ddim
Ch es i ddim
The Question forms

The Questions are formed in exactly the same way as regular verbs.
Drop the positive marker Mi / Fe and keep the Soft Mutation.
Fe / Mi aeth hi
Fe / Mi ddaethon nhw
Fe / Mi wnaeth y plant
Fe / Mi fuon ni
Fe / Mi gest ti
Aeth hi?
Ddaethon nhw?
Wnaeth y plant ?
Fuon ni?
Gest ti?
Do / Naddo
Do / Naddo
Do / Naddo
Do / Naddo
Do / Naddo
9. Alternative method of forming conveying the short Past Tense - for all
verbs, regular and irregular.
Instead of adding endings to the root of each verb (as seen in No. 9 above), its
possible to use any verb noun with the Future Tense forms of gwneud remembering that the verb- noun will undergo a Soft Mutation.
See S.M. rule 24.
(a)

e.g.
2002
Fe / Mi wnes i ddysgur gwaith.

- I learnt the work.
Fe / Mi wnest ti b rynu car newydd eleni.
- You bought a new car this year.
Fe / Mi wnaeth Tom ddod adren gynnar heddiw.
- Tom came home early today.
page 39 of 87
Fe / Mi wnaethon ni fynd ir parti.

- We went to the party.
Fe / Mi wnaethoch chi dalur bil.
- You paid the bill.
Fe / Mi wnaethon nhw gofior gwaith.
- They remembered the work.
(b)
The Negative forms

Notice that the mutation after the verb now happens on the word dim
which becomes ddim - so the word which follows it doesnt need to be
mutated in these negative sentences.
e.g.
(c)
The Question forms

e.g.
2002
Wnes i ddim dysgur gwaith.

- I didnt learn the work.
Wnest ti ddim p rynu car newydd eleni
- You didnt buy a new car this year.
Wnaeth Tom ddim d od adren gynnar heddiw.
- Tom didnt come home early today.
Wnaethon ni ddim mynd ir parti.
- We didnt go to the party.
Wnaethoch chi ddim talur bil.
- You didnt pay the bill.
Wnaethon nhw ddim cofior gwaith
- They didnt remember the work.
Wnes i ddysgur gwaith?

Do.
- Did I learn the work?
Yes.
Wnest ti brynu car newydd eleni?
Naddo.
- Did you buy a new car this year?
No.
Wnaeth Tom ddod adren gynnar heddiw?
Do.
- Did Tom come home early today?
Yes.
Wnaethon ni fynd ir parti?
Naddo.
- Did we go to the party?
No.
Wnaethoch chi chi dalur bil?
Do.
- Did you pay the bill?
Yes.
Wnaethon nhw gofior gwaith? Do.
- Did they remember the work? Yes.
page 40 of 87
10. The short Future Tense
(see also No. 12 below)
This Tense again is formed by adding endings to the stem or root of all regular
verbs. ( xx will . - as opposed to the long form - xx will be ing)
(a)

These are the endings that are added to the root or stem of all regular
verbs.
- a i
- an ni
- i di
- wch chi
- wch chi
- iff e / hi (S.W.)
- an nhw
- iff o / hi (N.W.)
- iff / ith Tom / y plant
In the 3rd person singular, the ending in North Wales is -ith whilst in
South Wales it is -iff.
As mentioned above in No. 7 the stem or root of most verbs is found by
dropping the final syllable of the verb-noun:
cerdded
bwyta
prynu
dysgu
canu
gweld
(to walk)
(to eat)
(to buy)
(to learn)
(to sing)
(to see)
cerddbwytpryndysgcangwel-

eistedd
siarad
edrych
darllen
(to sit)
(to talk / speak)
(to look)
(to read)
Some roots are irregular

dweud
cyrraedd
aros
2002
(to say)
(to arrive)
(to stop / wait) -
dwedcyrhaeddarhos-
page 41 of 87
gwrando
gadael
cymryd
meddwl
(to listen)
(to leave)
(to take)
(to think)
gwrandawgadawcymermeddyli-
Example - dysgu - to learn

Dysga i
Dysgi di
Dysgwch chi
Dysgiff e S.W.
Dysgith o N.W.
Dysgiff / ith hi
Dysgiff / ith Tom
Dysgwn ni
Dysgwch chi
Dysgiff / ith y plant*
Dysgan nhw
Ill learn
youll (fam) learn
youll (pol) learn
hell learn
hell learn
shell learn
Tom will learn
well learn
youll learn
the children will learn
theyll learn
with plural nouns.
As mentioned elswhere above, in normal speech, we place Mi / Fe in
front of these verb forms - with the Soft Mutation as before.
Fe / Mi ddysga i
Fe / Mi ddysgwn ni
Fe / ddysgi di
Fe / Mi ddysgwch chi
Fe ddysgiff e S.W.
Fe / Mi ddysgan nhw
Mi ddysgith o N.W.
Fe / Mi ddysgiff / ith hi
Fe / Mi ddysgiff / ith Tom
e.g.
2002
Mi ddarllenith Tom y papur yn y gwely.

- Tom will read the paper in bed.
Fe weliff hir ffilm heno.
- Shell see the film tonight.
Fe / Mi bryna i ffrog newydd yfory.
- Ill buy a new dress tomorrow.
page 42 of 87
(b)
The Negative forms

Drop the positive or affirmative marker Mi / Fe but keep the Soft
Mutation at the beginning of the verb forms - except those verbs
which begin with c, p or t (which undergo an Aspirate Mutation.
See below).
Fe / Mi ddysga i
Fe / Mi ddysgi di
Fe / Mi ddysgiff e / hi (S.W.)
Fe / Mi ddysgiff o / hi (N.W.)
Fe / Mi ddysgiff / ith Tom
Fe / Mi ddysgwn ni
Fe / Mi ddysgiff / ith y plant*
Fe / Mi ddysgan nhw
Ddysga i ddim
Ddysgi di ddim
Ddysgwch chi ddim
Ddysgiff e / hi ddim
Ddysgiff o / hi ddim
Ddysgiff / ith Tom ddim
Ddysgwn ni ddim
Ddysgwch chi ddim
Ddysgiff / ith y plant ddim*
Ddysgan nhw ddim
with plural nouns.
e.g.
Ddarlleniff /ith Tom ddim papur yn y gwely.

- Tom wont read a paper in bed.
Weliff /ith hi ddim ffilm heno.
- She wont see a film tonight.
Wisga i ddim ffrog newydd yfory.
- I wont wear a new dress tomorrow.
As stated above, verbs which begin with c, p or t begin with an Aspirate

Mutation in the Negative Past Tense forms. See A.M. rule 7.
e.g. cysgu - to sleep
2002
Fe / Mi gysga i
Fe / Mi gysgi di
Fe / Mi gysgwch chi
Fe / Mi gysgiff / ith e / o
Fe / Mi gysgiff / ith hi
Fe / Mi gysgiff / ith Tom
Ch ysga i ddim
Ch ysgi di ddim
Ch ysgwch chi ddim
Ch ysgiff / ith e / o ddim
Ch ysgiff / ith hi ddim
Ch ysgiff / ith Tom ddim
Fe / Mi gysgwn ni
Ch ysgwn ni ddim
page 43 of 87
Fe / Mi gysgwch chi
Fe / Mi gysgiff / ith y plant *
Fe / Mi gysgan nhw
Chysgwch chi ddim

Chysgiff / ith y plant ddim*
Chysgan nhw ddim
Ph ryniff / ith hi ddim
Thalan nhw ddim
prynu - to buy
Fe / Mi bryniff / ith hi
talu - to pay
Fe / Mi dalan nhw
with plural nouns.
(c)
The Question forms

Merely drop the positive marker Mi / Fe , keep the Soft Mutation and
adopt a questioning tone of voice.
The replies in this tense are based on the verb gwneud:
Ddysga i?
Will I learn?
Ddysgi di?
Ddysgwch chi?
Will you (fam) learn?

Wna i (N.W.)
Will you (pol) learn?
Ddysgiff e?
Ddysgith o?
Ddysgiff / ith hi?
Ddysgiff / ith Tom? Ddysgwn ni?
Ddysgwch chi?
Ddysgiff / ith y plant?* Ddysgan nhw?
-
- Gwnei /
Gwnewch
- Gwnaf (S.W.)
- Gwnaf (S.W.)
Wna i (N.W.)
Will he learn?
- Gwnaiff (S.W.)
Will he learn?
- Gwneith (N.W.)
Will she learn?
- Gwnaiff (S.W.)
Gwneith (N.W.)
W ill Tom learn?
- Gwnaiff (S.W.)
Gwneith (N.W.)
Will we learn?
- Gwnawn /
Gwnewch
Will you learn?
- Gwnawn
W ill the children learn? - Gwnn
Will they learn?
- Gwnn
with plural nouns.
2002
page 44 of 87
The No replies are formed by placing Na in front of the Yes forms,

which undergo a Soft Mutation. See S.M. rule 24.
Gwnaf
Na wnaf
e.g.
Yes (I will)
No (I wont)
Gwnawn
Na wnawn
Yes (we will)

No (we wont)
Ddarlleniff Tom y papur yn y gwely? - Gwnaiff.

Ddarllenith Tom y papur yn y gwely? - Gwneith.
- Will Tom read the paper in bed? - Yes.
Welan nhw ffilm heno? - Na wnn.
- Will they see a film tonight? - No.
Wisgi di ffrog newydd yfory? - Wna i.
- Will you wear a new dress tomorrow? - Yes.
11. Irregular verbs - Future Tense

The 5 main irregular verbs in Welsh are:
mynd
gwneud
cael
dod
bod
to go
to do / make
to have / receive
to come
to be
Youve already seen the Future forms of the verb bod - used to form the long
Future Tense. See No.6.
(a)

The first three form a group of their own as they follow a similar pattern.
mynd
cael
Fe / Mi af fi
Fe / Mi gaf fi
Fe / Mi ei di
Fe / Mi gei ti
Fe / Mi ewch chi
Fe / Mi gewch chi
Fe aiff e / hi (S.W.) Fe gaiff e / hi (S.W.)
Mi eith o / hi (N.W.)Mi geith o / hi (N.W.)
Fe aiff Tom (S.W.) Fe gaiff Tom (S.W.)
2002
gwneud
Fe / Mi wnaf fi
Fe / Mi wnei di
Fe / Mi wnewch chi
Fe wnaiff e /hi (S.W.)
Mi wneith o / hi (N.W.)
Fe wnaiff Tom (S.W.)
page 45 of 87
Mi eith Tom (N.W.) Mi geith Tom (N.W.)
Mi wneith Tom (N.W.)
Fe / Mi awn ni
Fe / Mi gawn ni
Fe / Mi wnawn ni
Fe / Mi ewch chi
Fe / Mi gewch chi
Fe / Mi wnewch chi
Fe / Mi aiff / eith y plant* Fe / Mi gaiff / geith y plant* Fe / Mi wnaiff /
wneith y plant*
Fe / Mi n nhw
Fe / Mi gn nhw
Fe / Mi wnn nhw
The 1st person forms often drop the f in speech
e.g.
Fe / Mi a i
Fe / Mi ga i
Fe / Mi wna i
with plural nouns.
e.g.
Fe aiff y plant ir ysgol ar y bws.

- The children will go to school on the bus.
Mi n nhw i chwarae yn y parc ar l yr ysgol.
- Theyll go to play in the park after school.
Fe / Mi af fi ir gwelyn gynnar heno.
- Ill go to bed early tonight.
Mi gaf fi gar newydd y flwyddyn nesa..
- Ill get a new car next year.
Fe gaiff Beti wobr yn yr eisteddfod.
- Beti will get a prize at the eisteddfod.
Mi gn nhw salad i swper.
- Theyll have salad for supper
Mi wnn nhwr gwaith ddydd Sadwrn.
- Theyll do the work on Saturday.
Fe wnaiff hi gacen i de.
- Shell make a cake for tea.
Mi wnawn ni sn.
- Well make a noise.
The Future Tense of dod is a little different

Fe / Mi ddof fi
Fe / Mi ddoi di
Fe / Mi ddewch chi
Fe / Mi ddaw e / o
2002
Fe / Mi ddown ni
Fe / Mi ddewch chi
Fe / Mi ddaw y plant*
page 46 of 87
Fe / Mi ddaw hi
Fe / Mi ddaw Beti
Fe / Mi ddn nhw
The 1st person form often drop the f in speech

e.g.
Fe / Mi ddo i
with plural nouns.
e.g.
(b)
Mi ddaw Mair adre yfory.

- Mair will come home tomorrow.
Fe ddown ni ir parti mewn tacsi.
- Well come to the party in a taxi.
Fe ddoi di ir gwaith gyda Bill.
- Youll come to work with Bill.
The Negative forms

The Negatives are formed in exactly the same way as regular verbs.
Drop the positive marker Mi / Fe, keep the Soft Mutation (except for
cael which undertakes an Aspirate Mutation) and add ddim.
Fe / Mi n nhw
Fe / Mi ddaw hi
Fe / Mi wnei di
Fe / Mi fydd y plant
Fe / Mi gawn ni
(c)
n nhw ddim
Ddaw hi ddim
Wnei di ddim
Fydd y plant ddim
Ch awn ni ddim
The Question forms

The Questions are formed in exactly the same way as regular verbs.
Fe / Mi n nhw
Fe / Mi ddaw hi
Fe / Mi wnei di
Fe / Mi gawn ni
n nhw?
Ddaw hi?
Wnei di?
Fydd y plant?
Gawn ni?
The unmutated forms of these 5 verbs are used to convey Yes / No.
2002
page 47 of 87
The negative is formed in the usual way by placing Na in front of the

affirmative forms. This causes a Soft Mutation with the dod / gwneud /
bod forms - but an Aspirate Mutation with the cael forms. See S.M.
rule 24 and A.M. rule 10.
e.g.
n nhw ir parti? - n.
- Will they go to the party? - Yes (they will go).
Ddaw hi adren gynnar or ysgol? - Na ddaw.
- Will she come home early from school? - No (she wont come).
Gawn ni gar newydd eleni? - Na ch awn.
- Will we have a new car this year? - No (we wont have).
Note that the future tense of cael is also used to ask for permission (May
I? and May I have?):
e.g.
Ga i fynd?
Ga i ddiod?
Gei di aros?
Gaiff John lifft? (S.W.)

Geith John lifft? (N.W.)
May I go?
May I have a drink?
May you stay?/Are you allowed
to stay?
May Can John have a lifft? /
The same rules as above apply, i.e.

Aspirate mutation in the negative:
e.g.
Chewch chi ddim mynd.

- You may not go/You are not allowed to go.
The verb (in the appropriate person) is used to answer:

e.g.
Ga i aros?
May i stay?
Gn nhw ddiod? May they have a drink?
Cewch. (Yes you may)

Na chewch .(No you may not)
Cn.(Yes they may)
Na chn. (No they may not)
Note that the word immediately following the subject mutates, but that
there is no mutation after ddim:
Ga i fynd?
2002
page 48 of 87
Cha i ddim mynd

12. Alternative method of forming conveying the short Future Tense - for all
verbs, regular and irregular.
Instead of adding endings to the root of each verb (as seen in No. 10 above), its
possible to use any verb noun with the Future Tense forms of gwneud remembering that the verb- noun will undergo a Soft Mutation.
See S.M. rule 19.
(a)

e.g.
(b)
Fe / Mi wna i dd ysgur gwaith.

- Ill learn the work.
Fe / Mi wnei di b rynu car newydd eleni.
- Youll buy a new car this year.
Fe / Mi wnaiff / wneith Tom ddod adren gynnar heddiw.
- Will Tom come home early today.
Fe / Mi wnawn ni fynd ir parti.
- Well go to the party.
Fe / Mi wnewch chi dalur bil.
- Youll pay the bill.
Fe / Mi wnn nhw gofior gwaith.
- Theyll remember the work.
The Negative forms

Notice that the mutation after the verb now happens on the word dim
which becomes ddim - so the word which follows it doesnt need to be
mutated in these negative sentences.
e.g.
2002
Wna i ddim dysgur gwaith.

- I wont learn the work.
Wnei di ddim prynu car newydd eleni
- You wont buy a new car this year.
Wnaiff / Wneith Tom ddim d od adren gynnar heddiw.
- Tom wont come home early today.
Wnawn ni ddim mynd ir parti.
- We wont go to the party.
Wnewch chi ddim talur bil.
- You wont pay the bill.
Wnn nhw ddim cofior gwaith
page 49 of 87
- They wont remember the work.

(c)
The question forms

e.g.
Wna i ddysgur gwaith? - Gwnei / Gwnewch.

- Will I learn the work?
- Yes (you will).
Wnei di b rynu car newydd eleni? - Na wnaf.
- Will you buy a new car this year? - No (I wont).
Wnaiff / Wneith Tom ddod adren gynnar heddiw?
- Gwnaiff / Gwneith.
- Will Tom come home early today? - Yes (he will).
Wnawn ni fynd ir parti? - Na wnawn.
- Will we go to the party? - No (we wont).
Wnewch chi d alur bil? - Gwnawn / Gwnaf.
- Will you pay the bill? - Yes (we will) / Yes (I will).
Wnn nhw gofior gwaith? - Gwnn.
- Will they remember the work? - Yes (they will).
13. The Conditional (would) Tense.

As mentioned above, the participles Mi / Fe are used in front of these forms in
normal speech.
(a)

Fe / Mi faswn i
Fe / Mi faset ti
Fe / Mi fasech chi
Fe / Mi fasai fe / fo
Fe / Mi fasai hi
Fe / Mi fasai Dilys
I would
you (fam) would
you (pol) would
he would
she would
Dilys would
Fe / Mi fasen ni
Fe / Mi fasech chi
Fe / Mi fasair plant*
Fe / Mi fasen nhw
we would
you would
the children would
they would
with plural nouns.
2002
page 50 of 87
These forms are again followed by the linking yn which causes no

mutation.
(b)
(c)
The Negative forms

Faswn i ddim
Faset ti ddim
Fasech chi ddim
Fasai fe / fo ddim
Fasai hi ddim
Fasai Dilys ddim
I wouldnt
you (fam) wouldnt
you (pol) wouldnt
he wouldnt
she wouldnt
Dilys wouldnt
Fasen ni ddim
Fasech ch i ddim
Fasair plant ddim*
Fasen nhw ddim
we wouldnt
you wouldnt
the children wouldnt
they wouldnt
The Question and Answer forms

Faswn i?
Faset ti?
Fasech chi?
Fasai fe / fo?
Fasai hi?
Fasai Dilys?
Would I?
Would you (fam)?
Would you (pol)?
Would he?
Would she?
Would Dilys?
Fasen ni?
Fasech chi? Fasair plant?* Fasen nhw? -
Baset / Basech
Baswn
Baswn
Basai
Basai
Basai
Would we?
Would you?
Would the children?Would they?
-
Basen / Basech
Basen
Basen
Basen
with plural nouns.
These forms are again followed by the linking yn which causes no
mutation.
The Negative replies are formed as usual by placing Na in front of the
Affirmative forms, not forgetting the Soft Mutation. See S.M. rule 24.
e.g.
2002
Baswn
Na faswn
Yes (I would)
No (I wouldnt)
page 51 of 87
Basech
Na fasech
Yes (you would)

No (you wouldnt)
e.g. Fe / Mi fasen nin bwyta sbageti yn yr Eidal.

- We would eat spaghetti in Italy.
Faswn i ddim yn gwneud sn.
- I wouldnt make a noise.
Fasair plant yn cerdded ir ysgol? - Basen.
- Would the children walk to school? - Yes.
14. The second half of would sentences
The second half of a would sentence, whether it comes at the beginning or at
the end, usually begins with if..
In English, the verb which follows is often a Past Tense verb - but on further
investigation, it isnt really the Past Tense thats required.
I would buy a new car, if I had enough money.
i.e.
I would buy a new car, if I were to have enough money.

I would buy a new car, if I would have enough money.
If they went to Moscow, they would see the Kremlin.

i.e.
If they were to go to Moscow, they would see the Kremlin.

If they would go to Moscow, they would see the Kremlin.
The if.. pattern in Welsh
2002
Taswn i
Taset ti
Tasech chi
Tasai fe / fo
Tasai hi
Tasai Dilys
if I were to (would)
if you (fam) were to (would)
if you (pol) were to (would)
if he were to (would)
if she were to (would)
if Dilys were to (would)
Tasen ni
Tasech chi
Tasair plant
Tasen nhw
if we were to (would)
if you were to (would)
if the children were to (would)
if they were to (would)
page 52 of 87
These forms are again followed by the linking yn which causes no mutation.
e.g.
Fe / Mi faswn in gweld Tr Eiffel, taswn in mynd i Baris.

- I would see the Eiffel Tower, if I went ( were to go / would go) to Paris.
Taset tin mynd ir parti, fe faswn in mynd hefyd.
- If you went (were to go / would go) to the party, I would go too.
Tasen nhwn gyfoethog, fe fasen nhwn prynu iot.
- If they were wealthy, they would buy a yacht.
15. The short would like pattern

(a)

Fe / Mi faswn in hoffi
Fe / Mi faset tin hoffi
Fe / Mi fasech chin hoffi
Fe / Mi fasai fe / fon hoffi
Fe / Mi fasai hin hoffi
Fe / Mi fasai Dilys yn hoffi
Fe / Mi hoffwn i
Fe / Mi hoffet ti
Fe / Mi hoffech chi
Fe / Mi hoffai fe / fo
Fe / Mi hoffai hi
Fe / Mi hoffai Dilys
Fe / Mi fasen nin hoffi

Fe / Mi fasech chin hoffi
Fe / Mi fasair plant yn
hoffi*
Fe / Mi fasen nhwn hoffi
Fe / Mi hoffen ni
Fe / Mi hoffech chi
Fe / Mi hoffair
plant
Fe / Mi hoffen nhw
Id like
Youd like (fam)
Youd like (pol)
Hed like
Shed like
Dilys would
like
Wed like
Youd like
The children
would like
Theyd like
with plural nouns.
There is no linking ynafter these forms and the verb-nouns which
follow these short Affirmative forms undergo a Soft Mutation.
See S.M. No.25.
(b)
The Negative forms

Hoffwn i ddim
Hoffet ti ddim
Hoffech chi ddim
Hoffai fe / fo ddim
Hoffai hi ddim
Hoffai Dilys ddim
2002
I wouldnt like
You wouldnt like (fam)
You wouldnt like (pol)
He wouldnt like
She wouldnt like
Dilys wouldnt like
page 53 of 87
Hoffen ni ddim
Hoffech chi ddim
Hoffair plant ddim*
Hoffen nhw ddim
We wouldnt like
You wouldnt like
The children wouldnt like
They wouldnt like
There is no linking ynafter these forms and there is no mutation in the

verb-nouns which follow these short Negative forms.
(c)
The Question and answer forms

Hoffwn i? Hoffet ti?
Hoffech chi? Hoffai fe /f o?Hoffai hi?
Hoffai Dilys? -
Would I like?
Would you like? (fam)
Would you like? (pol)
Would he like?
Would she like?
Would Dilys like?
(Na) hoffet / hoffech

(Na) hoffwn
(Na) hoffwn
(Na) hoffai
(Na) hoffai
(Na) hoffai
Hoffen ni?
Would we like?
Would you like?

Would the children
like?
Would they like?
(Na) hoffen /
hoffech
(Na) hoffen
(Na) hoffen
(Na) hoffen
Hoffech chi? Hoffair plant?* Hoffen nhw? -
with plural nouns.
There is no linking yn after these forms and the verb -nouns which
follow these short Question forms undergo a Soft Mutation.
See S.M. No.25.
e.g.
Fe / Mi hoffair plant fynd i weld Mickey Mouse.

- The children would like to go to see Mickey Mouse.
Hoffen ni ddim bwyta malwod.
- We wouldnt like to eat snails.
Hoffet ti gael porc i ginio? - Hoffwn.
- Would you like to have pork for dinner? - Yes (I would).
16. The ought to / should verb forms

(a)
2002
page 54 of 87
Fe / Mi ddylwn i
Fe / Mi ddylet ti
Fe / Mi ddylech chi
Fe / Mi ddylai fe / fo
Fe / Mi ddylai hi
Fe / Mi ddylai Dilys
I ought to / should
You ought to (fam) / should
You ought to (pol) / should
He ought to / should
She ought to / should
Dilys ought to / should
Fe / Mi ddylen ni
Fe / Mi ddylech chi
Fe / Mi ddylair plant*
Fe / Mi ddylen nhw
We ought to / should
You ought to / should
The children ought to / should
They ought to / should
Notice that there is no linking yn after this pattern and the verb-noun
which follows the Affirmative forms undergoes a Soft Mutation.
See S.M. No.26.
(b)
The Negative forms

Ddylwn i ddim
Ddylet ti ddim
Ddylech chi ddim
Ddylai fe / fo ddim
Ddylai hi ddim
Ddylai Dilys ddim
I shouldnt
You shouldnt (fam)
You shouldnt (pol)
He shouldnt
She shouldnt
Dilys shouldnt
Ddylen ni ddim
Ddylech chi ddim
Ddylair plant ddim*
Ddylen nhw ddim
We shouldnt
You shouldnt
The children shouldnt
They shouldnt
Notice that there is no linking yn after this pattern and the verb-noun
follows immediately without a mutation.
(c)

Ddylwn i? Ddylet ti?
Ddylech chi? Ddylai fe / fo? Ddylai hi? Ddylai Dilys? -
2002
Should I?
Should you? (fam)
Should you? (pol)
Should he?
Should she?
Should Dilys?
Dylet / Dylech
Dylwn
Dylwn
Dylai
Dylai
Dylai
page 55 of 87
Ddylen ni? Ddylech chi? Ddylair plant?* Ddylen nhw? -
Should we?
Should you?
Should the
children?
Should they?
Dylen / Dylech
Dylen
Dylen
Dylen
with plural nouns.
The verb-noun which follows the Question forms undergoes a Soft
Mutation. See S.M. No.26.
As usual the Negative reply is formed by placing Na in front of the
Affirmative forms - remembering the Soft Mutation. See S.M. rule 24.
Dylwn
Na ddylwn -
Yes (I should)
No ( I shouldnt)
Dylet
Na ddylet
Yes (you should)

No (you shouldnt)
e.g.
Fe / Mi ddylair plant fynd ir gwelyn gynnar heno.

- The children ought to go to bed early tonight.
Ddylen ni ddim yfed gormod o alcohol.
- We shouldnt drink too much alcohol.
Ddylet ti gael salad i ginio? - Dylwn.
- Should you have salad for dinner? - Yes (I should).
17. The must / have to pattern

(a)
2002

(Mae) rhaid i mi / fi
(Mae) rhaid i ti
(Mae) rhaid i Tom Mair
(Mae) rhaid iddo fo (N.W.)(Mae) rhaid iddo fe (S.W.) (Mae) rhaid iddi hi
-
I must / have to
you must / have to
Tom / Mair must / has to
he must / has to
he must / has to
she must / has to
(Mae) rhaid i ni
(Mae) rhaid i chi
We must / have to
you must / have to
page 56 of 87
(Mae) rhaid ir plant

(Mae) rhaid iddyn nhw
the children must / have to

they must / have to
Mae is often omitted in ordinary speech.

(b)
The Negative forms

To make a negative statement, change Mae to Does dim.
Does dim rhaid i ni
Does dim rhaid iddi hi
(c)
We dont have to
She doesnt have to
The Question forms

To ask a question, change Mae to Oes?
Oes rhaid i chi?
Oes rhaid iddyn nhw?
(d)
(e)
Must you / Do you have to?

Must they / Do they have to?
In the Past Tense use Roedd, Oedd? and Doedd dim.

Roedd rhaid i mi / fi
Roedd rhaid iddo fo (N.W.)
I had to
he had to
Oedd rhaid i ti?

Oedd rhaid iddyn nhw?
Did you have to?

Did they have to?
Doedd dim rhaid i chi

Doedd dim rhaid i ni
You didnt have to

We didnt have to
The verb noun which follows the full rhaid (must) pattern undergoes
a Soft Mutation. See S.M. rule 16. We often omit Mae in ordinary
speech.
e.g.
(Mae) rhaid iddyn nhw dd ysgu Cymraeg.

- They must learn Welsh.
Oes rhaid i ti fynd adre?
- Must you / Do you have to go home?
2002
page 57 of 87
(f)
Youll notice that the initial verb form which is used with rhaid is
always in the 3rd person singular. This is true of all tenses.
e.g.
(g)
Mae rhaid i
Roedd rhaid i .
Fe / Mi fydd rhaid i
Tasai rhaid i
Fe / Mi fasai rhaid i
The full pattern doesnt have to be used. Its possible to make an

impersonal statement by placing a verb noun immediately after
rhaid - thus avoiding the mutation!
e.g.
(Mae) rhaid mynd ir gwelyn gynnar heno.

- One (i.e. I / We ) must go to bed early tonight.
(Mae) rhaid ffonio John.
- One (i.e. I / We ) must telephone John.
18. Prepositions which follow certain verbs

It is important to learn some verbs with the preposition which follows
them - because these can vary from language to language. This is arguably
the most difficult element in any language as there is often no logical
explanation for the use of a particular preposition after a certain verb
(consider the following in English - fill in, fill out, fill up; work out; cut up;
drink up; listen to; think of; round up; bring about etc).
e.g.
edrych ar
gwrando ar
siarad efo (N.W.)
siarad (S.W.)
cwrdd
dweud wrth
gweithio i
gofyn i
rhoi i
edrych ymlaen at
cofio at
anfon at
to look at
to listen to
to talk / speak to
to talk / speak to
to meet
to tell
to work for
to ask (someone)
to give to
to look forward to
to remember to
to send to (a person)
Remember that these prepositions have personal forms - they conjugate,

See Section CH for more details.
2002
page 58 of 87
e.g.
Dw in hoffi edrych arno fe / fo.

Wyt ti wedi ysgrifennu ati hi?
19. The Command forms

(a)
Regular verbs
Most verbs fall into this group
Endings are added to the stem or root of the verb This is usually found by
dropping the final syllable
e.g.
cerdded
bwyta
prynu
dysgu
canu
(to walk)
(to eat)
(to buy)
(to learn)
(to sing)
cerddbwytpryndysgcan-
Sometimes it is only the final letter which is dropped

gweld
( to see)
gwel-

eistedd
siarad
edrych
darllen
(to sit)
(to talk / speak)
(to look)
(to read)
There is sometimes a change of spelling in the root

dweud
cyrraedd
aros
gwrando
gadael
cymryd
meddwl
(i)
2002
(to say)
(to arrive)
(to stop / wait) (to listen)
(to leave)
(to take)
(to think)
dwedcyrhaeddarhosgwrandawgadawcymermeddyli-
The polite / formal singular and plural command ending is

-wch
page 59 of 87
e.g.
cerdded
bwyta
prynu
dysgu
canu
(to walk)
(to eat)
(to buy)
(to learn)
(to sing)
cerddwch!
bwytwch!
prynwch!
dysgwch!
canwch!
eistedd
siarad
edrych
darllen
(to sit)
(to talk / speak)
(to look)
(to read)
eisteddwch!
siaradwch!
edrychwch!
darllenwch!
dywedwch!
dweud
(ii)
(to say)
The familiar singular command ending is -a

e.g.
cerdded
bwyta
prynu
dysgu
canu
(to walk)
(to eat)
(to buy)
(to learn)
(to sing)
cerdda!
bwyta!
pryna!
dysga!
cana !
eistedd
siarad
edrych
darllen
(to sit)
(to talk / speak)
(to look)
(to read)
eistedda!
siarada!
edrycha!
darllena !
The noun which directly follows a command ( the direct object)

undergoes a Soft Mutation. See S.M. rule31.
e.g.
(b)
2002
Dysgwch Gymraeg!
Darllenwch bapur!
Daliwch y lein!
Ffoniwch heno!
Learn Welsh!
Read a paper!
Hold the line!
Telephone tonight!
Pryna gar newydd!

Siarada Gymraeg!
Cofia fi ati hi!
Buy a new car!

Speak Welsh!
Remember me to her!
There is sometimes a change of spelling in the command form
page 60 of 87
gwrando ar (to listen to) gadael

gadael i
dweud
(to leave)
(to let)
(to say)
cyrraedd
(to arrive)
aros
(to stop / wait)-
cymryd
(to take)
meddwl
(to think)
e.g.
(c)
Gwrandewch arna i!
Gadewch iddi hi fynd!
gwrandewch!
gwrandewa!
gadewch!
gadewa!
dwedwch!
dweda!
cyrhaeddwch!
cyrhaedda!
arhoswch!
arhosa!
cymerwch!
cymera!
meddyliwch!
meddylia!
-
Listen to me!
Let her go!
Irregular verbs
These are all different and have to be learnt individually.
Here are the three most often used.
bod
2002
(to be)
byddwch
bydd / bydda
mynd (to go)
ewch (S.W.) / cerwch (N.W.)

cer (S.W.) / dos (N.W.)
dod
(to come)
dewch (S.W.) / dowch (N.W.)

dere (S.W.) / tyrd (N.W.)
e.g.
Byddwch yn blant da!

Bydd yn ofalus!
Byddan ofalus!
Be good children!
Be careful!
Ewch / Cerwch mewn tacsi!

Dos / Cer ir gwely!
Go by taxi!
Go to bed!
Dewch i mewn!
Tyrd / Dere yma!
Come in!
Come here!
page 61 of 87
(d)
The negative commands (Dont) are

Peidiwch / Peidiwch
Paid / Paid
e.g.
(polite singular + plural)

(familiar singular)
Peidiwch siarad Saesneg!

Peidiwch siarad Saeneg!
- Dont speak English!
Paid rhedeg ar y lawnt!
Paid rhedeg ar y lawnt!
- Dont run on the lawn!
Technically, the preposition should form part of this pattern, but it is

often dropped in speech.
If the is used, notice the Aspirate Mutation. (c >ch, p>ph, t>th) See
A.M. rule 11.
e.g.
Peidiwch cherdded ar y lawnt!

- Dont walk on the lawn!
Paid phrynu sglodion!
- Dont buy chips!
becomes ag in front of a word which begins with a vowel

e.g.
2002
Peidiwch ag eistedd wrth y ffenest!

- Dont sit by the window!
Paid ag agor y ffenest!
- Dont open the window!
page 62 of 87
DD. Cysyllteiriau - Conjunctions

1. a (and) is used in front of a consonant and ac in front of a vowel. Remember
that w and y are vowels in Welsh.
e.g.
bachgen a merch
t ac ysgol
car a bws
oren ac afal
a causes an Aspirate Mutation in words beginning with c, p and t

See A.M. rule 3.
e.g.
ci a chath
coffi a the
papur a ph ensil
mam a thad
Notice what happens in the following examples

a + y / yr > ar
e.g.
y ci a y gath
y t a yr ysgol
>
>
y ci ar gath
y t ar ysgol
2. neu (or) causes a Soft Mutation. See S.M. rule 14.

e.g.
2002
ci neu gath
bachgen neu ferch
te neu goffi
coffi neu d e
page 63 of 87
E. Rhifau - Numbers
1. We always use a singular noun after numbers in Welsh. (In English we
only use the singular forms hundred, thousand, million etc after
numbers).
e.g.
saith ci
naw bachgen
seven dogs
nine boys
2. There are masculine and feminine forms of the numbers 2, 3 and 4.and their use
depends on the gender of the noun to which they refer.
e.g.
dau afal (m)

- two apples
tri llyfr (m)
- three books
pedwar car(m) - four cars
dwy het (f) - two hats

tair cadair (f) - three chairs
pedair pl (f) - four balls
3. The numbers pump (five), chwech (six) and cant (hundred) drop the final
consonant when they stand immediately in front of a noun.
e.g.
pum potel
chwe llwy
can punt
five bottles
six spoons
hundred pounds
4. Feminine nouns undergo a Soft Mutation after un (one) (except those

nouns which begin with ll or rh ). See S.M. rule 2.
e.g.
un gath
un llwy
un fraich
un bunt
5. Masculine nouns after dau (two) and feminine nouns after

dwy (two) undergo a Soft Mutation. See S.M. rules 3 and 4.
e.g.
dau gi (m)
dau d (m)
- two dogs
- two houses
dwy gath (f)

dwy bont (f)
two cats
two bridges
6. Masculine nouns undergo an Aspirate Mutation after tri (three)

See A.M. rule 1.
e.g.
2002
tri ch ar
tri ch ap
three cars
three caps
tri th
tri ph lentyn -
three houses
three children
page 64 of 87
There is no mutation after tair, the feminine form for three.

7. All nouns, masculine and feminine undergo an Aspirate Mutation
after chwe. See A.M. rule 2.
e.g.
8. (a)
chwe cheiniog
chwe phlentyn
chwe th
chwe chadair
chwe phunt
chwe theise
deg (ten) becomes deng before m

deuddeg (twelve) becomes deuddeng before m
pymtheg (fifteen) becomes pymtheng before m
e.g.
(b)
deng mlynedd
deuddeng munud
pymtheng mis
ten years
twelve minutes
fifteen months
blynedd (year) becomes mlynedd after many numbers although these

numbers do not cause any other words to mutate nasally.
e.g.
5
8
10
15
20
100
pum mlynedd
wyth mlynedd
deng mlynedd
pymtheng mlynedd
ugain mlynedd
can mlynedd
7
9
12
18
50
saith mlynedd
naw mlynedd
deuddeng mlynedd
deunaw mlynedd
hanner can mlynedd
9. When giving someones age, whether male or female, re member to use the
feminine forms dwy (two), tair (three) and pedair (four) which refer to
the number of years, which is a feminine noun in Welsh.
e.g.
Mae hin ddwy oed.

- Shes two years old / of age.
Roedd Gwyn yn bedair oed ddoe.
- Gwyn was four years old / of age yesterday.
10. It i s also possible to convey plurals by using a number followed by o followed

again by the plural form of the noun.
e.g.
2002
tri o blant
deg o geir
three children
ten cars
page 65 of 87
In order to use this method of counting, it must be remembered that
2002
(a)
o causes a Soft Mutation see s.m. rule10.
(b)
the plural form of the noun must be used. This can cause a
problem as plural forms are irregular and do not follow any
particular pattern.
page 66 of 87
F. Rhagenwau - Pronouns
1. The singular possessive pronouns cause mutations.
Sometimes a confirming pronoun is used after the noun. This happens more
often in the spoken language - but it can be omitted.
However, if the possessor needs to be emphasized, it is this confirming
pronoun which is stressed in Welsh.
e.g.
Dyma fy llyfr i a dacw dy lyfr di ar y bwrdd.

- Heres my book and theres your book on the table.
(a)
fy (my) is followed by an Nasal Mutation. See N.M. rule 2.

The confirming pronoun for fy is i.
e.g.
cath
pen
trwyn
gardd
brawd
desg
fy nghath (i) fy mhen (i) fy nhrwyn (i) fy ngardd (i) fy mrawd (i) fy nesg (i)
-
my cat
my head
my nose
my garden
my brother
my desk
c, p, t, g, b and d are the only letters that mutate. Other letters

remain unchanged.
e.g.
(b)
ffrind
ysgol
llaw
fy ffrind (i)
fy ysgol (i)
fy llaw (i)
my friend
my school
my hand
dy (your) and ei(his) cause a Soft Mutation. See S.M. rule 11.
The confirming pronoun for dy is di.
The confirming pronoun for ei(his) is e in South Wales and o
in North Wales.
e.g.
2002
cath
dy gath (di)
your cat
page 67 of 87
pen
trwyn
gardd
brawd
desg
llaw
rhosyn
mam
ei gath (e / o)
dy ben (di)
ei ben (e / o)
dy drwyn (di)
ei drwyn (e / o)
dy ardd (di)
ei ardd (e / o)
dy frawd (di)
ei frawd (e / o)
dy ddesg (di)
ei ddesg (e / o)
dy law (di)
ei law (e / o)
dy rosyn (di)
ei rosyn (e / o)
dy fam (di)
ei fam (e / o)
his cat
your head
his head
your nose
his nose
your garden
his garden
your brother
his brother
your desk
his desk
your hand
his hand
your rose
his rose
your mother
his mother
c, p, t, g, b, d, ll, rh and m and are the only letters that mutate.

Other letters remain unchanged.
e.g.
(c)
chwaer
nith
dy chwaer (di)
ei nith (e / o)
your sister
his niece
ei (her) causes an Aspirate Mutation. See A.M. rule 4.

The confirming pronoun for ei is hi.
e.g.
cath
pen
trwyn
ei chath (hi)
ei phen (hi)
ei thrwyn (hi)
her cat
her head
her nose
c, p, and t are the only letters that mutate. Other letters remain
unchanged.
e.g.
brawd
gwaith
ei brawd (hi)
ei gwaith (hi)
her brother
her work
ei(her) causes a vowel to grow before a vowel. (Remember that wand

yare vowels in Welsh.)
e.g.
2002
enw
ei henw (hi)
her name
page 68 of 87
acen
(d)
ei hacen (hi)
her accent
The plural possessive pronouns ein (our), eich (your) and eu (their)
do not cause mutations.
But like ei (her), both ein (our) and eu (their) cause an h to grow
before a vowel.
The confirming pronoun for ein (our) is ni.
The confirming pronoun for eich (your) is chi.
The confirming pronoun for eu (their) is nhw.
e.g.
ysgol
enw
iaith
ein h ysgol (ni)

eich enw (chi)
eu hiaith (nhw)
our school
your name
their language
2. When a personal pronoun ( me / you / him / her / it / us / them) is used

immediately after a long verb (i.e. it is the object of that verb) then in Welsh
we must also use the possessive pronouns ( see No. 1 above) in front of the
verb-noun.
Remember that a long verb is one made up of the verb to be linked by yn
or wedi to a verb -noun.
e.g.
I will be telephoning her tonight.

- Fe / Mi fydda in ei ffonio hi heno.
We dont know them.
- Dyn ni ddim yn eu nabod nhw.
Have they answered you?
Ydyn nhw wedi eich ateb chi?
The possessive pronouns will cause the verb -nouns to undergo the different
mutations mentioned above.
e.g.
2002
She was reading it (the book - masc.) on the train.

- Roedd hin ei ddarllen e / o ar y trn.
I cant hear you.
- Dw i ddim yn dy glywed d i.
Does he love her?
- Ydy e / on ei charu hi?
page 69 of 87
FF. Cyffredinol - General

1. Note the difference between the following
adref
gartref
cartref
e.g.
home(wards)
at home
(a) home
Mae hin mynd adre ar l cinio.

- Shes going home after lunch.
Mae hin byw gartre.
- She lives at home.
Mae cartre hyfryd gan Mair.
- Mair has a lovely home.

Cymraeg
Cymreig
e.g.
Welsh (in language)

Welsh (pertaining to Wales)
Mae hi wedi prynu llyfr Cymraeg.

- Shes bought a Welsh (language) book.
Dw in gweithio yn y Swyddfa Gymreig.
- I work at the Welsh Office.

Cymru
Cymry
e.g.
Wale s
Welsh people
Maer Cymryn byw yng Nghymru.

The Welsh live in Wales.

nabod
gwybod
2002
to know (a person / a place)

to know (a fact)
page 70 of 87
e.g.
Dw i ddim yn nabod y rheolwr ond dw in gwybod ei enw e/o.

- I dont know the manager but I know his name.

Sut?
Pa mor?
e.g.
How?
(followed by a verb)
How? (followed by an adjective)
Sut roedd y tywydd yn Ffrainc?

- How was the weather in France?
Pa mor bell ydy Llundain o Fangor?
- How far is London from Bangor?

nl
yn l
e.g.
to fetch
back
Mae John wedi mynd i nl y car or garej.

- John has gone to fetch the car from the garage.
Maer llyfr wedi mynd yn l ir llyfrgell.
- The book has gone back to the library.
Both sound the same when spoken

gwario
treulio
e.g.
to spend money
to spend time
Mae Mair yn treulio ei gwyliau yn y siopau yn

gwario arian.
- Mair is spending her holiday in the shops,
spending money.
8. Bod is used to convey that.. is / was or that.. are / were.

e.g.
2002
Dw in gwybod bod John ar ei wyliau.

- I know that John is on holiday.
page 71 of 87
Roedden nhwn meddwl bod y plant yn chwarae y parc.

- They thought that the children were playing in the park.
Bod has personal forms
(fy) mod i
(dy) fod ti
(ei )fod o/e
(ei) bod hi
that I am / was
that you are / were
that he is / was
that she is / was
(ein) bod ni
(eich) bod chi
(eu) bod nhw
that we are / were

that you are / were
that they are / were
In ordinary conversation the first pronoun is often omitted.

e.g.
Dw in meddwl (fy ) mod in mynd i Lundain yfory.

- I think that Im going to London tomorrow.
Fe ddwedon nhw (eu) bod nhwn rhydd.
Mi ddudon nhw (eu) bod nhwn rhydd. (N.W.)
- They said that they were free.
Dw in sir (ei) bod hi wedi mynd adre.
- Im sure that she has gone home.
The bod pattern is also used after the following words

achos (because)
er (even though)
e.g.
hwyrach / falle (perhaps)

gobeithio (hopefully)
Mae Mair yn y gwely achos (ei) bod hin sl.

- Mairs in bed because she is ill.
Gobeithio (eu) bod nhw wedi ennill.
- Hopefully (I hope that) they have won.
9. When an emphatic sentence is used after that - i.e. the sentence begins with
a noun or a phrase of some kind, not a verb - then the Welsh word for that is
mai
taw
2002
N.W.
S.W.
page 72 of 87
e.g.
Mae Tom yn dweud mai / taw yn Nolgellau mae Mair yn byw.

- Tom says that it is in Dolgellau that Mair lives.
10. Yes / No Replies

(a)
The Present Tense and the Past Perfect Tense

In the Present Tense these verb forms are followed by the linking word
yn. See Verbs No.1.
In the Past Perfect Tense these verb forms are followed by the linking
word wedi. See Verbs No. 4.
Ydw i ?
Wyt ti?
Ydych chi ? Ydy Tom / Bethan? Ydyr car? Ydy e? (S.W.)
Ydy o? (N.W.)
Ydy hi?
Ydyn ni?
Ydych chi? Ydyr plant?* Ydyn nhw? -
Am / Do I?
Are / Do you? (familiar)

Are / Do you? (polite)
Is / DoesTom / Bethan?
Is the car?
Is / Does he / it (masc)?
Is / Does she / it (fem)?
Are / Do we?
Are / Do you?
Are / Do the children?
Are / Do they?
(Nac) Wyt (fam) /

Ydych (pol)
(Nac) Ydw
(Nac) Ydw
(Nac) Ydy
(Nac) Ydy
(Nac) Ydy
(Nac) Ydy
(Nac) Ydy
(Nac) Ydyn / Ydych

(Nac) Ydyn
(Nac) Ydyn
(Nac) Ydyn
Remember the colloquial forms

Ydw i ?
Ydych chi ? Ydyn ni?
-
Dw i?
Dych chi? (S.W.)
Dach chi? (N.W.)
Dyn ni? (S.W.)
Dan ni? (N.W.)
and the replies...

Ydyn / Nac ydyn
In North Wales people will also reply to all persons of the Perfect Tense
verb by using
2002
page 73 of 87
Do
Naddo
(b)
Yes
No
The Indefinite Question in the Present Tense. See Verbs No. 2

Oes?
(Is there / Are there?)
(c)
Nac oes
Oes
- No
- Yes
The Imperfect Tense and the Pluperfect Tense

In the Imperfect Tense these verb forms are followed by the linking word
yn. See Verbs No.3.
In the Pluperfect Tense these verb forms are followed by the linking
word wedi. See Verbs No. 5
Oeddwn i ? -
Was I?
Oeddet ti? Were you? (familiar)

Oeddech chi ? Were you? (polite)
Oedd Tom / Bethan?WasTom / Bethan?
Oedd y car? Was the car?
Oedd e? (S.W.) Was he / it (masc)?
Oedd o? (N.W.)
Oedd hi?
Was she / it (fem)?
Oedd? (S.W.)Was there?/Were there?
Oedd na? (N.W.)
Oedden ni?
Were we?
Oeddech chi?
Oedd y plant?*
Oedden nhw?
Were you?
Were the children? Were they?
-
(Nac) Oeddet (fam) /

Oeddech (pol)
(Nac) Oeddwn
(Nac) Oeddwn
(Nac) Oedd
(Nac) Oedd
(Nac) Oedd
(Nac) Oedd
(Nac) Oedd
(Nac) Oedd
(Nac) Oedden /
Oeddech
(Nac) Oedden
(Nac) Oedden
(Nac) Oedden
On i?
Ot ti?
Och chi?
On ni?
Och chi?
2002
(Nac) ot / och
(Nac) on
(Nac) on
(Nac) on / och
(Nac) on
page 74 of 87
On nhw?
(d)
(Nac) on
The long Future Tense See Verbs No. 6

Fydda i?
Will I be?
Fyddi di
Fyddwch chi?
Fydd Tom / Bethan?Fydd y car?
Fydd e? (S.W.)
Fydd o? (N.W.)
Fydd hi?
Fydd / Fydd na? -
Will you be? (familiar)

Will you be? (polite)
Will I Tom / Bethan be?
Will the car be?
Will he / it (masc) be?
Will she / it (fem) be?
Will there be?
Fyddwn ni?
Will we be?
Fyddwch chi?
Fydd y plant?*
Fyddan nhw?
Will you be?

Will the children be?
Will they be?
Byddi (fam) /
Byddwch (pol)
Bydda
Bydda
Bydd
Bydd
Bydd
Bydd
Bydd
Bydd
Byddwn /
Byddwch
Byddwn
Byddan
Byddan
with plural nouns.
used in the question forms.
The negative reply - No - is formed by placing Na in front of the
Yes replies. It will cause a Soft Mutation. See S.M. rule 24.
Na fydda
Na fyddan
Na fyddi
No (I wont be)
No (they wont be)
No (you wont be)
and so on.
(e)
The short Past Tense See Verbs Nos 7 8 and 9.

The replies in this tense are the same in all persons:
Yes
No
2002
Do
Naddo
page 75 of 87
Ddysgais i?
Ddysgoch chi?
Ddysgodd e / o?
Ddysgodd hi?
Ddysgodd Tom?
Ddysgon ni?
Ddysgoch chi?
Ddysgodd y plant?* Ddysgon nhw?
(f)
Did you (fam) learn?

Did you (pol) learn?
Did he learn?
Did she learn?
Did Tom learn?
Do / Naddo
Do / Naddo
Do / Naddo
Do / Naddo
Do / Naddo
Did we learn?
Did you learn?
Did the children learn?
Did they learn?
Do / Naddo
Do / Naddo
Do / Naddo
Do / Naddo
Gwnei /
Gwnewch
Gwnaf (S.W.)
The short Future Tense See Verbs No.10

Ddysga i?
Will I learn?
Ddysgi di?
Ddysgwch chi?
Will you (fam) learn?

Wna i (N.W.)
Will you (pol) learn?
Ddysgiff e?
Ddysgith o?
Ddysgiff / ith hi?
Will he learn?
Will he learn?
Will she learn?
Ddysgiff / ith Tom? -
Will Tom learn?
Ddysgwn ni?
Will we learn?
Will you learn?

Will the children learn?*
Will they learn?
Ddysgwch chi?
Ddysgiff / ith y plant? Ddysgan nhw?
-
Gwnaf (S.W.)
Wna i (N.W.)
Gwnaiff (S.W.)
Gwneith (N.W.)
Gwnaiff (S.W.)
Gwneith (N.W.)
Gwnaiff (S.W.)
Gwneith (N.W.)
Gwnawn /
Gwnewch
Gwnawn
Gwnn
Gwnn
with plural nouns.
The No replies are formed by placing Na in front of the Yes forms,
which undergo a Soft Mutation. See S.M. rule 24.
Gwnaf / Wna i
Gwnawn
(g)
2002
Yes (I will)
Yes (we will)
Na wnaf
Na wnawn
No (I wont)
No (we wont)
The Future Tense of Irregular verbs is formed in exactly the same way as
page 76 of 87
regular verbs. See Verbs No. 11.

Fe / Mi n nhw
Fe / Mi daw hi
Fe / Mi wnei di
Fe / Mi gawn ni
n nhw?
Ddaw hi?
Wnei di?
Fydd y plant?
Gawn ni?
For the Yes / No replies, the unmutated forms of these 5 verbs are used
The negative replies are formed in the usual way by placing Na in
front of the affirmative forms. This causes a Soft Mutation with the dod /
gwneud / bod forms - but an Aspirate Mutation with the cael forms.
See S.M. rule 24 and A.M. rule 10.
e.g.
(h)
n nhw ir parti? - n.
- Will they go to the party? - Yes (they will go).
Ddaw hi adren gynnar or ysgol? - Na ddaw.
- Will she come home early from school? - No (she wont come).
Gawn ni gar newydd eleni? - Na ch awn.
- Will we have a new car this year? - No (we wont have).
The alternative Future forms. See Verbs No. 12.

e.g.
mynd (to go)

Wna i fynd?
Will I go?
Gwnei / Gwnewch
Wnei di fynd?
Will you go? Gwna / Wna i
Wneith Tom / o fynd? (N.W.) - Will Tom / he go? - Gwneith
Wnaiff Tom / e fynd? (S.W.) - Will Tom / he go? - Gwnaiff
Wnawn ni fynd?
Wnewch chi fynd? Wnn nhw fynd? -
Will we go? Will you go? Wil they go? -
Gwnawn / Gwnewch
Gwnawn
Gwnn
The negative replies are formed by placing Nabefore the affirmative

forms. It causes a Soft Mutation.
e.g.
2002
Gwnawn
Gwneith
Na wnawn
Na wneith
page 77 of 87
(i)
The would Tense SEE verbs No. 13.

Faswn i?
Faset ti?
Fasech chi?
Fasai fe / fo?
Fasai hi?
Fasai Dilys?
Would I?
Would you (fam)?
Would you (pol)?
Would he?
Would she?
Would Dilys
Fasen ni?
Fasech chi? Fasair plant?* Fasen nhw? -
Would we?
Would you?
Would the children? Would they?
-
Baset / Basech
Baswn
Baswn
Basai
Basai
Basai
Basen / Basech
Basen
Basen
Basen
The negative replies are formed by placing Na before the affirmative

forms.
It causes a Soft Mutation.
e.g.
(j)
Basai
Baswn
Na fasai
Na faswn
The short would like forms . See Verbs No. 15.

Hoffwn i?
Would I like?
Hoffet ti?
Hoffech chi? Hoffai fe / fo? Hoffai hi?
Hoffai Dilys? -
Would you like? (fam)

Would you like? (pol)
Would he like?
Would she like?
Would Dilys like?
Hoffen ni?
Would we like?
Would you like?

Would the children
Would they like?
Hoffech chi? Hoffair plant?* Hoffen nhw? -
(Na) hoffet /
hoffech
(Na) hoffwn
(Na) hoffwn
(Na) hoffai
(Na) hoffai
(Na) hoffai
(Na) hoffen /
hoffech
(Na) hoffen
(Na) hoffen like?
(Na) hoffen
with plural nouns.
There is no linking yn after these forms and the verb -nouns which
2002
page 78 of 87
follow these short Question forms undergo a Soft Mutation. See S.M.
No.25.
(k)
The ought to / should forms. See Verbs No. 16.

Ddylwn i? Ddylet ti?
Ddylech chi? Ddylai fe / fo? Ddylai hi? Ddylai Dilys? -
Should I?
Should you? (fam)
Should you? (pol)
Should he?
Should she?
Should Dilys?
Dylet / Dylech
Dylwn
Dylwn
Dylai
Dylai
Dylai
Ddylen ni? Ddylech chi? Ddylair plant?* -
Should we?
Should you?
Should the
children?
Should they?
Dylen / Dylech
Dylen
Dylen
Dylen
Ddylen nhw? -
with plural nouns.
The verb-noun which follows the Question forms undergoes a Soft
Mutation. See S.M. No.26.
As usual the Negative reply is formed by placing Na in front of the
Affirmative forms - remembering the Soft Mutation. See S.M. rule 24.
Dylwn
Na ddylwn Dylet Na ddylet
(l)
Yes (you should)

No (you shouldnt)
When an emphatic question is asked - i.e. the verb doesnt come first the replies are always
Ie
Ia
- N.W.
Nage
2002
Yes (I should)
No ( I shouldnt)
Yes
No
page 79 of 87
Naci
- N.W.
e.g.
Tm pl droed Wrecsam enillodd? - Ie / Ia.

- Was it Wrexham soccer team that won? - Yes.
Bethan ydy dy enw di? - Nage / Naci, Elen.
- Is your name Bethan? - No, Elen
2002
page 80 of 87
Y Treigladau - The Mutations

The Soft Mutation
The Nasal Mutation
The Aspirate Mutation
c
p
t
g
b
d
ll
rh
m
c
p
t
g
b
d
c
p
t
> g
> b
> d
> > f
> dd
> l
> r
> f
>
>
>
>
>
>
ngh
mh
nh
ng
m
n
>
>
>
ch
ph
th
Y Treiglad Meddal - The Soft Mutation

The Soft Mutation occurs:
1. In singular, feminine nouns after the definite article y (the)
e.g. merch - y ferch
the girl
pl
- y bl
the ball
The consonants ll and rh are an exception to this rule
e.g. llaw
- y llaw
the hand
rhaw - y rh aw the spade
2. In feminine nouns after the number un (one)
e.g. cath
- un gath one cat
basged - un fasged one basket
3. In feminine nouns after the number dwy (two)
e.g. cadair - dwy gadair two chairs
merch - dwy ferch two girls
4. In masculine nouns after the number dau (two)
e.g. gwely - dau wely two beds
ci
- dau gi
two dogs
2002
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5. In masculine and feminine nouns after the ordinal ail (second)

e.g. t
- yr ail d
the second house (masc)
bachgen - yr ail fachgen the second boy (masc)
merch
- yr ail ferch
the second girl (fem)
desg
- yr ail ddesg the second desk (fem)
6. When ordinals refer to feminine nouns, both the number and the noun will
mutate
y drydedd (the third), y bedwaredd (the fourth),
y bumed (the fifth), y chweched (the sixth),
y seithfed (the seventh), yr wythfed (the eighth),
y nawfed (the ninth), y ddegfed (the tenth),
y ddeuddegfed (the twelfth), y bymthegfed (the fifteenth),
yr ugeinfed (the twentieth), y ganfed (the hundredth)
e.g.
y bumed ferch
y ddegfed gn;
y nawfed flwyddyn y drydedd wobr
-
the fifth girl

the tenth song
the ninth year
the third prize
7. In adjectives which follow a singular, feminine noun

e.g. merch dal - a tall girl
ffilm dd a gardd fawr - a large garden
cath fach ffrog goch - a red dress
a good film
a small cat
8. The adjectives hen (old) and hoff (favourite) stand in front of the noun and
they cause the noun to undergo a Soft Mutation
e.g. hen d
- an old house
hen gastell
an old castle
hoff fwyd favourite food
hoff lyfr
- favourite book
9. In adjectives after gweddol (fairly), lled (quite / fairly) and rhy (too).
e.g. yn weddol gryf
fairly strong
yn rhy denau
too thin
yn lled fyr
quite short
yn rhy galed
too hard
10. After the prepositions am (at / for), ar (on), at (to / at), dros (over), drwy
(through), dan (under), wrth (by), o (from), i (to), heb (without), tan
(until), gan (by / from)
e.g. heb fwyd
- without food
i Gaernarfon - to Caernarfon
o Fangor
- from Bangor
2002
page 82 of 87
wrth ddrws y ffrynt
by / at the front door
11. After the personal possessive pronouns dy (your) and ei (his)

e.g. tad
- dy d ad your father
mam - ei fam his mother
12. In adjectives and nouns (not verbs) after the linking word yn
e.g. coch
- yn g och
red
meddyg - yn f eddyg a doctor
The consonants ll and rh are exceptions to this rule
e.g. llwyd yn llwyd
grey
rhad yn rhad
cheap
13. After Dyma (Heres / This is ) and Dyna / Dacw (Theres /Thats )
e.g. cadair Dyma gadair!
Heres a chair!
Desg Dyna ddesg Rhian! Theres / Thats Rhians desk!
14. After the conjunction neu (or)
e.g. te / coffi
te neu goffi
wisgi / cwrw wisgi neu g wrw
15. In verb forms after Fe / Mi

e.g. Clywais I
Fe / Mi glywais I
Talan nhw Fe / Mi dalan nhw -
tea or coffee
whisky or beer
I heard
Theyll pay
16. After the rhaid pattern

e.g. Mae rhaid ir plant fynd ir gwelyn gynnar.
Does dim rhaid iddi hi d alur bil trydan heddiw.
17. In negative forms of short verbs in the Past and Future Tenses - except those verbs
which begin with c, p or t (see Rules 6 and 7 under Aspirate Mutation)
e.g. Ddarllenais i ddim papur ddoe.
- I didnt read a paper yesterday.
W elodd hi mor ffilm.
- She didnt see the film.
18. In question forms of short verbs in the Past and Future Tenses
e.g. Ddarllenaist tir papur ddoe?
- Did you read the paper yesterday?
W elodd hir ffilm?
2002
page 83 of 87
- Did she see the film?

19. In the indefinite object of short verbs in the Past and FutureTenses (i.e the first word afer the subject)
e.g. llyfr - Fe ddarllenais i lyfr da.
- I read a good book.
car
- Mi brynan nhw gar newydd y flwyddyn nesa.

- Theyll buy a new car next year.
and in such patterns as

mynd
- Mi wnes i fynd
talu
- Mi wna i d alu
cychwyn - Wnaiff / wneith y car gychwyn? -
I did go / I went.
Ill pay
Will the car start?
20. With days of the week to convey on a certain day

e.g. dydd Mawrth - Tuesday
ddydd Mawrth - on Tuesday
21. When adverbial expressions of time are used in sentences
e.g. Fe briodon nhw dd wy flynedd yn l.
- They married (got married) two years ago.
22. After mor / cyn (as) when comparing adjectives
e.g. tywyll - mor d ywyll / cyn d ywylled
poeth - mor b oeth / cyn boethed
as dark
as hot
23. After the possession pattern based on gan

e.g. Mae gynno fo wallt du.
- He has / Hes got black hair.
24. In verb forms which convey the negative reply - No (after the negating word
Na) - except those verbs which begin with c, p or t. See A.M rule 10.
e.g. Byddwn
Yes (we will be)
Na fyddwn No (we wont be
25. In verb -nouns after the hoffwn pattern (Affirmative and Question forms only)
e.g. Mi hoffwn i fynd Id like to go
Hoffen nhw gael? Would they like to have?
26. In verb -nouns after the dylwn pattern (Affirmative and Question forms only)
e.g. Mi ddylwn i fynd Id ought to / should go
2002
page 84 of 87
Ddylen nhw gael? -
Should they have?
27. After cyn and mor when forming the Equative degree of adjectives.
e.g. tal (tall)
cyn daled (ag)
(as tall as)
creulon (cruel)
mor greulon (ag) (as cruel as)
28. After yn when forming the Comparative degree of adjectives.
e.g. tal (tall)
yn dalach na(g)
(taller than)
creulon (cruel)
yn fwy creulon na(g)
(more cruel than)
29. In the Superlative degree of the adjective when it refers to a feminine noun.
e.g. tal (tall) y tala
- masculine
y d ala
- feminine
30. In the noun used in indefinite sentences after the word na (N.W.)
e.g. Mae na gi wrth y drws.
- Theres a dog by the door.
31. Immediately after a command.
e.g. Darllena lyfr!
Siaradwch Gymraeg!
Read a book!
Speak Welsh!
Y Treiglad Trwynol -The Nasal Mutation

The Nasal Mutation occurs:
1. After the preposition yn (in)
e.g. Dolgellau
- yn Nolgellau
Tonypandy - yn Nhonypandy -
in Dolgellau
in Tonypandy
yn changes to ym when the word which follows begins with m or mh

e.g. Bangor
- ym Mangor
in Bangor
parti Mair
- ym mharti Mair in Mairs party
yn changes to yng when the word which follows begins with ng or ngh
e.g. gardd Tom - yng ng ardd Tom in Toms garden
car Bill
- yng nghar Bill
in Bills car
2. After the personal pronoun fy
e.g. car
- fy nghar (i)
pen
- fy mhen (i)
2002
my car
my head
page 85 of 87
trwyn
gardd
brawd
desg
fy nhrwyn (i)
fy ngardd (i)
fy mrawd (i)
fy n esg (i)
my nose
my garden
my brother
my desk
Y Treiglad Llaes - The Aspirate Mutation

The Aspirate Mutation occurs:
1. In masculine nouns after the number tri (three)
e.g. car
- tri ch ar
three cars
plentyn
- tri phlentyn
three children
tebot
- tri thebot
three teapots
2. In all nouns, masculine and feminine, after the number chwe (six)
e.g. ceffyl
- chwe cheffyl
six horses
(masc)
plentyn - chwe phlentyn
six children (masc)
t
- chwe th
six houses (masc)
ceiniog
pl
teisen
- chwe cheiniog
- chwe phl
- chwe th eisen
six pence
six balls
six cakes
(fem)
(fem)
(fem)
Notice that we drop the final consonant ch in the number chwech when it
occurs in front of a noun.
3. After the conjunction a (and)
e.g. te / coffi
- te a choffi
coffi / te
- coffi a th e
tatws / pys - tatws a phys
pys / tatws - pys a thatws
bara / caws - bara a chaws
clust / trwyn - clust a th rwyn
tea and coffee

coffee and tea
potatoes and peas
peas and potatoes
bread and cheese
ear and nose
4. After the personal possessive pronoun ei (her)

e.g. tad
- ei th ad (hi)
her father
papur - ei phapur (hi)
her paper
car
- ei ch ar (hi)
her car
5. After the following prepositions - / gyda (with), tua (towards or about /
approximately)
2002
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e.g.
siarad / phlant
tua th ri or gloch
torri gyda / efo chyllell
to talk to children
about three oclock
to cut with a knife
6. In the negative form of verbs in the Past Tense.

e.g. clywed
Fe / Mi glywais i
p rynu
- Fe / Mi brynodd Tom talu
Fe / Mi dalon nhw
-
Ch lywais i ddim
Ph rynodd Tom ddim
Thalon nhw ddim
7. In the negative form of verbs in the Short Future Tense.

e.g. clywed Fe / Mi glywaf i
Ch lywaf i ddim
p rynu
- Fe / Mi bryniff Tom
P h ryniff Tom ddim
talu
Fe / Mi dalan nhw
- Thalan nhw ddim
8. After (as)
e.g. mor swnllyd pharot
mor bell Phontypridd
as noisy as a parrot
as far as Pontypridd
9. After na (than)
e.g. yn dalach na ch oeden
yn oerach na Chanada
taller than a tree

colder than Canada
10. After na when forming negative replies - No.

e.g. Cewch!
Yes you may!
Na ch ewch!
No you may not!
11. After in Negative commands
e.g. Peidiwch ch adw sn! Paid phoeni!
-
2002
Dont make a noise!

Dont worry!
page 87 of 87

Basic Rules of Welsh Grammar

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Basic Rules of Welsh Grammar

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Learn Welsh - Grammar

SOME BASIC RULES OF WELSH GRAMMAR

Y Fannod - The Article

Y Treigliadau - The Mutations

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A. Y Fannod - The Article

yr is used in front of a vowel and in front of h . Remember that

r is used after a word ending in a vowel - no matter

The children are

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dau fachgen dau dd yn

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six pennies (pence)

7. Nouns will undergo a Soft Mutation after the linking yn.

Roedd Mair yn ddoctor. Mae en filiwnydd. (S.W.) Dydy o ddim yn b rifathro. -

Mair was a doctor.

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Sometimes another noun can be used as an adjective or a descriptive word

bread shop (bakers)

3. When an adjective stands alone in a sentence (i.e. it doesnt stand

The bus is early.

Maer bws yn gynnar.

This word yn causes the adjective to undergo a Soft Mutation.

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The castle is big .

Maer castell yn fawr.

4. We can qualify our adjectives by placing rhy (too), gweddol (quite /

The largest group - to which appropriate endings are added

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mae hi mor dal fi

mae hin dalach na fi

Notice the Aspirate Mutation after both and na.

mor dal ch oeden / cyn daled ch oeden yn gochach na than

Youll notice a change of spelling in some adjectives when endings are

Some consonants harden

Also: gwlyb > gwlypach (wetter)

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pwysig > pwysicach (more important)

Adjectives which are too long to accommodate endings.

more interesting than

the most interesting

Also: gwyllt (wild), diflas (miserable,boring), gwyntog (windy)

The following are the main irregular adjectives

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In the Equative degree the following forms are also acceptable

In the Comparative degree the following form is also acceptable

cyn dewed mochyn

yn fwy cymylog na ddoe

cloudier than yesterday

There is an Aspirate Mutation after both and na.

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mor fynyddig Chymru

Sentences containing either the Comparative and Equative degree follow

Maer llyfrgell mor bell (cyn belled) r orsaf.

Efrog Newydd ydyr pella.

In English we cannot use the Superlative degree when comparing only 2

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CH. Arddodiaid - Prepositions

ar has personal forms

on the kithchen table

ar is used after certain verbs. Here are two:

Wyt tin gwrando arna i?

i has personal forms -

From Holyhead to Cardiff.